Article
Soil Science
Wojciech Szymanski, Klaudia Jagi, Marek Drewnik, Lukasz Musielok, Mateusz Stolarczyk, Magdalena Gus-Stolarczyk, Sebastian Sikora
Summary: The study aims to determine the variability of topsoil temperature under different types of tundra vegetation in the Arctic region. The results show that wet sites with marsh and moss tundra vegetation have higher topsoil temperatures, while sites with Arctic meadow and heath tundra vegetation have lower temperatures. The topsoil temperature is highly correlated with air temperature, with variations in different seasons.
Article
Microbiology
Taniya Roy Chowdhury, Erin C. Berns, Ji-Won Moon, Baohua Gu, Liyuan Liang, Stan D. Wullschleger, David E. Graham
Summary: As temperatures warm in Arctic continuous permafrost zones, changes in hydrological and geochemical soil conditions are expected, impacting heterotrophic microbial carbon cycling. Results from this study show that HCP soils exhibit varying CO2 and CH4 production patterns in response to different water content levels, with organic soils producing more CH4 with increased water content. This knowledge is crucial for constraining uncertainties in predictive climate models regarding microbial C mineralization rates in Arctic soils.
FRONTIERS IN MICROBIOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Christoph Keuschnig, Catherine Larose, Mario Rudner, Argus Pesqueda, Stephane Doleac, Bo Elberling, Robert G. Bjork, Leif Klemedtsson, Mats P. Bjorkman
Summary: Thawing permafrost soils in Arctic regions are predicted to release 50 to 250 billion tons of carbon by 2100. Most of this carbon comes from carbon-rich wetlands, but 71% is stored in faster-thawing mineral soils, making ecosystems near the outer boundaries of permafrost regions particularly vulnerable. This study examines the long-term changes following thaw and drainage, showing a significant decrease in CH4 emissions and comparable CO2 emissions. The findings highlight the importance of considering hydrological, vegetation, and microbial factors in studying the long-term effects of climate change on CH4 emissions.
GLOBAL CHANGE BIOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Environmental Sciences
M. B. Siewert, H. Lantuit, A. Richter, G. Hugelius
Summary: Spatial analysis in earth sciences often relies on spatial autocorrelation, but permafrost soils show significant variability at different scales, contradicting Tobler's first law of geography. Understanding these complexities is crucial for mapping and predicting permafrost carbon feedbacks.
GLOBAL BIOGEOCHEMICAL CYCLES
(2021)
Article
Microbiology
Milan Varsadiya, Tim Urich, Gustaf Hugelius, Jiri Barta
Summary: By studying different types of permafrost-affected soil in the Western Canadian Arctic, it was found that fungal communities exhibit different relative proportions and topological roles in various soil horizons, indicating their varying sensitivity to environmental change. Some fungal taxa may shift their roles, potentially impacting carbon storage in permafrost-affected soil.
Article
Soil Science
Julia Wagner, Victoria Martin, Niek J. Speetjens, Willeke A'Campo, Luca Durstewitz, Rachele Lodi, Michael Fritz, George Tanski, Jorien E. Vonk, Andreas Richter, Annett Bartsch, Hugues Lantuit, Gustaf Hugelius
Summary: Soil organic carbon (SOC) in arctic coastal tundra is vulnerable to climate change, and its distribution and stability are influenced by factors such as landscape history and ground ice content.
Article
Soil Science
Julien Fouche, Camille Bouchez, Catherine Keller, Michel Allard, Jean-Paul Ambrosi
Summary: This study monitored the chemistry of soil waters in two experimental sites in the low-Arctic region, finding that the concentrations of chemical elements in different types of permafrost soils can change with seasonal thawing.
Article
Soil Science
Wojciech Szymanski, Marek Drewnik, Mateusz Stolarczyk, Lukasz Musielok, Magdalena Gus-Stolarczyk, Michal Skiba
Summary: Climate warming causes environmental changes in the Arctic that affect soil organic matter decomposition and greenhouse gas emissions. A portion of organic carbon and total nitrogen in Arctic permafrost-affected soils is found to be intercalated within swelling clay minerals, showing high resistance to chemical and thermal oxidation. These findings should be considered in climate models and research on permafrost thawing and greenhouse gas emissions.
Article
Environmental Sciences
Heather Kropp, Michael M. Loranty, Susan M. Natali, Alexander L. Kholodov, Adrian Rocha, Isla Myers-Smith, Benjamin W. Abbot, Jakob Abermann, Elena Blanc-Betes, Daan Blok, Gesche Blume-Werry, Julia Boike, Amy L. Breen, Sean M. P. Cahoon, Casper T. Christiansen, Thomas A. Douglas, Howard E. Epstein, Gerald Frost, Mathias Goeckede, Toke T. Hoye, Steven D. Mamet, Jonathan A. O'Donnell, David Olefeldt, Gareth K. Phoenix, Verity G. Salmon, A. Britta K. Sannel, Sharon L. Smith, Oliver Sonnentag, Lydia Smith Vaughn, Mathew Williams, Bo Elberling, Laura Gough, Jan Hjort, Peter M. Lafleur, Eugenie S. Euskirchen, Monique M. P. D. Heijmans, Elyn R. Humphreys, Hiroki Iwata, Benjamin M. Jones, M. Torre Jorgenson, Inge Gruenberg, Yongwon Kim, James Laundre, Marguerite Mauritz, Anders Michelsen, Gabriela Schaepman-Strub, Ken D. Tape, Masahito Ueyama, Bang-Yong Lee, Kirsty Langley, Magnus Lund
Summary: Soils are warming in the Arctic and Boreal region as temperature rises, with tall shrubs and trees expanding in the tundra. Ecosystems with tall-statured shrubs and trees have warmer shallow soils compared to short-statured tundra vegetation, indicating that ground thermal regimes in the cold season are critical for predicting soil warming. The expansion of tall shrubs and trees into tundra regions can amplify shallow soil warming and increase potential for increased seasonal thaw depth, soil carbon cycling rates, carbon dioxide loss, and permafrost thaw.
ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH LETTERS
(2021)
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Donatella Zona, Peter M. Lafleur, Koen Hufkens, Beniamino Gioli, Barbara Bailey, George Burba, Eugenie S. Euskirchen, Jennifer D. Watts, Kyle A. Arndt, Mary Farina, John S. Kimball, Martin Heimann, Mathias Gockede, Martijn Pallandt, Torben R. Christensen, Mikhail Mastepanov, Efren Lopez-Blanco, Albertus J. Dolman, Roisin Commane, Charles E. Miller, Josh Hashemi, Lars Kutzbach, David Holl, Julia Boike, Christian Wille, Torsten Sachs, Aram Kalhori, Elyn R. Humphreys, Oliver Sonnentag, Gesa Meyer, Gabriel H. Gosselin, Philip Marsh, Walter C. Oechel
Summary: Long-term records of atmospheric CO2 concentration indicate a decrease in the positive effect of warming on carbon uptake in high-latitude regions since the 1990s. This study used data from permafrost tundra sites across the circumpolar Arctic to examine the temperature responses of ecosystem carbon fluxes and their relationship with soil moisture. The results suggest that reduced soil moisture during peak summer may limit plant productivity and carbon sequestration in tundra ecosystems.
GLOBAL CHANGE BIOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Microbiology
Samuel E. Miller, Albert S. Colman, Jacob R. Waldbauer
Summary: The study used metaproteomic methods to investigate microbial activity and metabolic functions in Alaskan soils. It found that different bacterial groups have specialized roles in acquiring and degrading organic compounds. The research also showed that Acidobacteria have a key role in hemicellulose depolymerization. This study highlights the importance of understanding soil microbial ecology in relation to carbon cycling.
Article
Environmental Sciences
Howard E. Epstein, Donald A. Walker, Gerald Frost, Martha K. Raynolds, Uma Bhatt, Ronald Daanen, Bruce Forbes, Jozsef Geml, Elina Kaarlejarvi, Olga Khitun, Artem Khomutov, Patrick Kuss, Marina Leibman, Georgy Matyshak, Nataliya Moskalenko, Pavel Orekhov, Vladimir E. Romanovsky, Ina Timling
Summary: Field sampling along the Eurasia Arctic Transect in northwestern Siberia showed that aboveground vegetation biomass, NDVI, and LAI all increased with the summer warmth index. Different soil types influenced the spatial patterns of these vegetation properties. Shrub biomass increased non-linearly with summer warmth index, while moss and lichen biomass responded differently to the increase in temperature.
ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH LETTERS
(2021)
Article
Microbiology
Milan Varsadiya, Tim Urich, Gustaf Hugelius, Jiri Barta
Summary: The study found that substantial amounts of topsoil organic matter in Arctic Cryosols have been translocated into deeper soil horizons, reducing its decomposition rate. Different tundra types showed distinct microbial patterns, with wet-polygonal tundra having the lowest abundance of bacteria and diazotrophs but the highest abundance of methanogens, making it a hotspot for methanogenesis.
FEMS MICROBIOLOGY ECOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Geochemistry & Geophysics
Yonghong Yi, Richard H. Chen, Mahta Moghaddam, John S. Kimball, Benjamin M. Jones, Randi R. Jandt, Eric A. Miller, Charles E. Miller
Summary: This study used SAR and Sentinel-1 data to investigate the sensitivity of radar backscatter intensity and phase to fire-induced changes in Arctic tundra. The results showed that fire causes changes in backscatter, mainly due to increased surface roughness and subsurface scattering.
IEEE TRANSACTIONS ON GEOSCIENCE AND REMOTE SENSING
(2022)
Article
Soil Science
Wenyi Xu, Anders Prieme, Elisabeth J. Cooper, Martin Alfons Morsdorf, Philipp Semenchuk, Bo Elberling, Paul Grogan, Per Lennart Ambus
Summary: Climate change is causing an increase in winter snowfall in many Arctic regions, leading to deeper snow that enhances soil microbial nitrogen cycle processes and nutrient availability. The effects of deepened snow on stimulating microbial N cycling activities are most pronounced in relatively moist tundra ecosystems, altering biogeochemical cycles and nutrient availability for plant growth. The study suggests that while increased N availability during the growing season may promote plant growth, it may also lead to increased N losses through water and gaseous pathways, affecting overall nutrient status.
SOIL BIOLOGY & BIOCHEMISTRY
(2021)