Detecting the signature of permafrost thaw in Arctic rivers
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Date
2015-04-28
Publication Type
Journal Article
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yes
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Abstract
Climate change induced permafrost thaw in the Arctic is mobilizing ancient dissolved organic carbon (DOC) into headwater streams; however, DOC exported from the mouth of major arctic rivers appears predominantly modern. Here we highlight that ancient (>20,000 years B.P.) permafrost DOC is rapidly utilized by microbes (~50% DOC loss in <7 days) and that permafrost DOC decay rates (0.12 to 0.19 day⁻¹) exceed those for DOC in a major arctic river (Kolyma: 0.09 day⁻¹). Permafrost DOC exhibited unique molecular signatures, including high levels of aliphatics that were rapidly utilized by microbes. As microbes processed permafrost DOC, its distinctive chemical signatures were degraded and converged toward those of DOC in the Kolyma River. The extreme biolability of permafrost DOC and the rapid loss of its distinct molecular signature may explain the apparent contradiction between observed permafrost DOC release to headwaters and the lack of a permafrost signal in DOC exported via major arctic rivers to the ocean.
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Publication status
published
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Book title
Journal / series
Volume
42 (8)
Pages / Article No.
2830 - 2835
Publisher
American Geophysical Union
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Edition / version
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Date collected
Date created
Subject
permafrost; organic carbon; organic matter; Arctic; river
Organisational unit
08619 - Labor für Ionenstrahlphysik (LIP) / Laboratory of Ion Beam Physics (LIP)
03868 - Eglinton, Timothy I. (emeritus) / Eglinton, Timothy I. (emeritus)