Permafrost Soils and Carbon Cycling
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Sensors and Measurements Discussion
“Measurements for Assessment of Hydrate Related Geohazards” Report Type: Topical No: 41330R07 Starting March 2002 Ending September 2004 Edited by: R.L. Kleinberg and Emrys Jones September 2004 DOE Award Number: DE-FC26-01NT41330 Submitting Organization: ChevronTexaco Energy Technology Company 2811 Hayes Road Houston, TX 77082 DISCLAIMER “This report was prepared as an account of work sponsored by an agency of the United States Government. Neither the United States Government nor any agency thereof, nor any of their employees, makes any warranty, expressed or implied, or assumes any legal liability or responsibility for the accuracy, completeness, or usefulness of any information, apparatus, product, or process disclosed, or represents that its use would not infringe privately owned rights. Reference herein to any specific commercial product, process, or service by trade name, trademark, manufacturer, or otherwise does not necessarily constitute or imply its endorsement, recommendation, or favoring by the United States Government or any agency thereof. The views and opinions of the authors expressed herein do not necessarily state or reflect those of the United States Government or any agency thereof.” ii Abstract Natural gas hydrate deposits are found in deep offshore environments. In some cases these deposits overlay conventional oil and gas reservoirs. There are concerns that the presence of hydrates can compromise the safety of exploration and production operations [Hovland and Gudmestad, 2001]. Serious problems related to the instability of wellbores drilled through hydrate formations have been document by Collett and Dallimore, 2002]. A hydrate-related incident in the deep Gulf of Mexico could potentially damage the environment and have significant economic impacts. -
Response of CO2 Exchange in a Tussock Tundra Ecosystem to Permafrost Thaw and Thermokarst Development Jason Vogel,L Edward A
Response of CO2 exchange in a tussock tundra ecosystem to permafrost thaw and thermokarst development Jason Vogel,l Edward A. G. Schuur,2 Christian Trucco,2 and Hanna Lee2 [1] Climate change in high latitudes can lead to permafrost thaw, which in ice-rich soils can result in ground subsidence, or thermokarst. In interior Alaska, we examined seasonal and annual ecosystem CO2 exchange using static and automatic chamber measurements in three areas of a moist acidic tundra ecosystem undergoing varying degrees of permafrost thaw and thermokarst development. One site had extensive thermokarst features, and historic aerial photography indicated it was present at least 50 years prior to this study. A second site had a moderate number of thermokarst features that were known to have developed concurrently with permafrost warming that occurred 15 years prior to this study. A third site had a minimal amount of thermokarst development. The areal extent of thermokarst features reflected the seasonal thaw depth. The "extensive" site had the deepest seasonal thaw depth, and the "moderate" site had thaw depths slightly, but not significantly deeper than the site with "minimal" thermokarst development. Greater permafrost thaw corresponded to significantly greater gross primary productivity (GPP) at the moderate and extensive thaw sites as compared to the minimal thaw site. However, greater ecosystem respiration (Recc) during the spring, fall, and winter resulted in the extensive thaw site being a significant net source of CO2 to the atmosphere over 3 years, while the moderate thaw site was a CO2 sink. The minimal thaw site was near CO2 neutral and not significantly different from the extensive thaw site. -
Surficial Geology Investigations in Wellesley Basin and Nisling Range, Southwest Yukon J.D
Surficial geology investigations in Wellesley basin and Nisling Range, southwest Yukon J.D. Bond, P.S. Lipovsky and P. von Gaza Surficial geology investigations in Wellesley basin and Nisling Range, southwest Yukon Jeffrey D. Bond1 and Panya S. Lipovsky2 Yukon Geological Survey Peter von Gaza3 Geomatics Yukon Bond, J.D., Lipovsky, P.S. and von Gaza, P., 2008. Surficial geology investigations in Wellesley basin and Nisling Range, southwest Yukon. In: Yukon Exploration and Geology 2007, D.S. Emond, L.R. Blackburn, R.P. Hill and L.H. Weston (eds.), Yukon Geological Survey, p. 125-138. ABSTRACT Results of surficial geology investigations in Wellesley basin and the Nisling Range can be summarized into four main highlights, which have implications for exploration, development and infrastructure in the region: 1) in contrast to previous glacial-limit mapping for the St. Elias Mountains lobe, no evidence for the late Pliocene/early Pleistocene pre-Reid glacial limits was found in the study area; 2) placer potential was identified along the Reid glacial limit where a significant drainage diversion occurred for Grayling Creek; 3) widespread permafrost was encountered in the study area including near-continuous veneers of sheet-wash; and 4) a monitoring program was initiated at a recently active landslide which has potential to develop into a catastrophic failure that could damage the White River bridge on the Alaska Highway. RÉSUMÉ Les résultats d’études géologiques des formations superficielles dans le bassin de Wellesley et la chaîne Nisling peuvent être résumés en quatre principaux faits saillants qui ont des répercussions pour l’exploration, la mise en valeur et l’infrastructure de la région. -
Contemporary Periglacial Processes in the Swiss Alps: Seasonal, Inter-Annual and Long-Term Variations
Permafrost, Phillips, Springman & Arenson (eds) © 2003 Swets & Zeitlinger, Lisse, ISBN 90 5809 582 7 Contemporary periglacial processes in the Swiss Alps: seasonal, inter-annual and long-term variations N. Matsuoka & A. Ikeda Institute of Geoscience, University of Tsukuba, Ibaraki, Japan K. Hirakawa & T. Watanabe Graduate School of Environmental Earth Science, Hokkaido University, Sapporo, Japan ABSTRACT: Comprehensive monitoring of periglacial weathering and mass wasting has been undertaken near the lower limit of the mountain permafrost belt. Seven years of monitoring highlight both seasonal and inter- annual variations. On the seasonal scale, three types of movements are identified: (A) small magnitude events associated with diurnal freeze-thaw cycles, (B) larger events during early seasonal freezing and (C) sporadic events originating from refreezing of meltwater during seasonal thawing. Type A produces pebbles or smaller fragments from rockwalls and shallow (Ͻ10 cm) frost creep on debris slopes. Types B and C are responsible for larger debris production and deeper (Ͻ50 cm) frost creep/gelifluction. Some of these events contribute to perma- nent opening of rock joints and advance of solifluction lobes. Sporadic large boulder falls enhance inter-annual variation in rockwall retreat rates. On some debris slopes, prolonged snow melting occasionally triggers rapid soil flow, which causes inter-annual variation in rates of soil movement. 1 INTRODUCTION 9º40'E 10º00'E Piz Kesch Real-time monitoring of periglacial slope processes is 3418 Switzerland useful to predict ongoing slope instability problems in Inn alpine regions. Such a prediction, however, needs long- Piz d'Err Piz Ot term variations in slope processes caused by climate 3378 3246 Samedan Italia change to be distinguished from inter-annual scale vari- A 30'E 30'E º St. -
GEOMORPHOLOGIE 4-2008 BIS:Maquette Geomorpho
Géomorphologie : relief, processus, environnement, 2008, n° 4, p. 223-234 Paraglacial and paraperiglacial landsystems: concepts, temporal scales and spatial distribution Géosystèmes paraglaciaire et parapériglaciaire : concepts, échelles temporelles et distribution spatiale Denis Mercier* Abstract The Pleistocene Earth history has been characterized by major climatic fluctuations. During glacial periods, ice may have covered around 30 per cent of the Earth surface compared to approximately 10 per cent nowadays. With global change, polar environments and other montainous glacial environments of the world are presently undergoing the most important changes since the end of the Last Glacial Maximum and are experiencing paraglacial and paraperiglacial geomorphological readjustments. Paraglacial and para- periglacial landsystems consist of several subsystems including gravitational, fluvial, coastal, aeolian and lacustrine environments. Paraglacial and paraperiglacial landsystems can be analysed as open and complex landsystems characterized by energy, water and sed- iment fluxes and exchange with surrounding environments, especially with glacial and periglacial landsystems as inputs. Those cascading landsystems are likely to react to climate change because they rely on an ice-cold water stock (glacier and permafrost) that developed during a previous cold sequence (glaciation). The response of paraglacial and paraperiglacial systems to climatic forcing takes place over a long time span ranging from an immediate reaction to several millennia. The spatial limits of paraglacial and para- periglacial landsystems are inherently dependant on the time scale over which the system is analyzed. During the Pleistocene, glaciations widely affected the high latitudes and the high altitudes of the Earth and were followed by inherited paraglacial sequences. Glacier forelands in Arctic and alpine areas experience paraglacial processes with the present warming. -
Drought and Ecosystem Carbon Cycling
Agricultural and Forest Meteorology 151 (2011) 765–773 Contents lists available at ScienceDirect Agricultural and Forest Meteorology journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/agrformet Review Drought and ecosystem carbon cycling M.K. van der Molen a,b,∗, A.J. Dolman a, P. Ciais c, T. Eglin c, N. Gobron d, B.E. Law e, P. Meir f, W. Peters b, O.L. Phillips g, M. Reichstein h, T. Chen a, S.C. Dekker i, M. Doubková j, M.A. Friedl k, M. Jung h, B.J.J.M. van den Hurk l, R.A.M. de Jeu a, B. Kruijt m, T. Ohta n, K.T. Rebel i, S. Plummer o, S.I. Seneviratne p, S. Sitch g, A.J. Teuling p,r, G.R. van der Werf a, G. Wang a a Department of Hydrology and Geo-Environmental Sciences, Faculty of Earth and Life Sciences, VU-University Amsterdam, De Boelelaan 1085, 1081 HV Amsterdam, The Netherlands b Meteorology and Air Quality Group, Wageningen University and Research Centre, P.O. box 47, 6700 AA Wageningen, The Netherlands c LSCE CEA-CNRS-UVSQ, Orme des Merisiers, F-91191 Gif-sur-Yvette, France d Institute for Environment and Sustainability, EC Joint Research Centre, TP 272, 2749 via E. Fermi, I-21027 Ispra, VA, Italy e College of Forestry, Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR 97331-5752 USA f School of Geosciences, University of Edinburgh, EH8 9XP Edinburgh, UK g School of Geography, University of Leeds, Leeds LS2 9JT, UK h Max Planck Institute for Biogeochemistry, PO Box 100164, D-07701 Jena, Germany i Department of Environmental Sciences, Copernicus Institute of Sustainable Development, Utrecht University, PO Box 80115, 3508 TC Utrecht, The Netherlands j Institute of Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing, Vienna University of Technology, Gusshausstraße 27-29, 1040 Vienna, Austria k Geography and Environment, Boston University, 675 Commonwealth Avenue, Boston, MA 02215, USA l Department of Global Climate, Royal Netherlands Meteorological Institute, P.O. -
Determining Carbon Stocks in Cryosols Using the Northern and Mid Latitudes Soil Database
Permafrost, Phillips, Springman & Arenson (eds) © 2003 Swets & Zeitlinger, Lisse, ISBN 90 5809 582 7 Determining carbon stocks in Cryosols using the Northern and Mid Latitudes Soil Database C. Tarnocai Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada J. Kimble USDA-NRCS-NSSC, Lincoln, Nebraska, USA G. Broll Institute of Landscape Ecology, University of Muenster, Muenster, Germany ABSTRACT: The distribution of Cryosols and their carbon content and mass in the northern circumpolar area were estimated by using the Northern and Mid Latitudes Soil Database (NMLSD). Using this database, it was estimated that, in the Northern Hemisphere, Cryosols cover approximately 7769 ϫ 103 km2 and contain approxi- mately 119 Gt (surface, 0–30 cm) and 268 Gt (total, 0–100 cm) of soil organic carbon. The 268 Gt organic carbon is approximately 16% of the world’s soil organic carbon. Organic Cryosols were found to have the highest soil organic carbon mass at both depth ranges while Static Cryosols had the lowest. The accuracy of these carbon val- ues is variable and depends on the information available for the area. Since these soils contain a significant por- tion of the Earth’s soil organic carbon and will probably be the soils most affected by climate warming, new data is required so that more accurate estimates of their carbon budget can be made. 1 INTRODUCTION which is in Arc/Info format, the Soils of Northern and Mid Latitudes (Tarnocai et al. 2002a) and Northern Soils are the largest source of organic carbon in ter- Circumpolar Soils (Tarnocai et al. 2002b) maps were restrial ecosystems. -
Cryogenic Displacement and Accumulation of Biogenic Methane in Frozen Soils
atmosphere Article Cryogenic Displacement and Accumulation of Biogenic Methane in Frozen Soils Gleb Kraev 1,*, Ernst-Detlef Schulze 2, Alla Yurova 3,4, Alexander Kholodov 5,6, Evgeny Chuvilin 7 and Elizaveta Rivkina 6 1 Centre of Forest Ecology and Productivity, Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow 117997, Russia 2 Department of Biogeochemical Processes, Max Planck Institute for Biogeochemistry, Jena 07745, Germany; [email protected] 3 Institute of Earth Sciences, Saint Petersburg State University, Saint Petersburg 199034, Russia; [email protected] 4 Nansen Centre, Saint Petersburg 199034, Russia 5 Geophysical Institute, University of Alaska Fairbanks, Fairbanks, AK 99775-9320, USA; [email protected] 6 Institute of Physicochemical and Biological Problems in Soil Science, Russian Academy of Sciences, Pushchino 142290, Russia; [email protected] 7 Faculty of Geology, Lomonosov Moscow State University, Moscow 119992, Russia; [email protected] * Correspondence: [email protected]; Tel.: +7-499-743-0026 Received: 28 March 2017; Accepted: 9 June 2017; Published: 15 June 2017 Abstract: Evidences of highly localized methane fluxes are reported from the Arctic shelf, hot spots of methane emissions in thermokarst lakes, and are believed to evolve to features like Yamal crater on land. The origin of large methane outbursts is problematic. Here we show, that the biogenic methane (13C ≤ −71 ) which formed before and during soil freezing is presently held in the permafrost. Field and experimentalh observations show that methane tends to accumulate at the permafrost table or in the coarse-grained lithological pockets surrounded by the sediments less-permeable for gas. Our field observations, radiocarbon dating, laboratory tests and theory all suggest that depending on the soil structure and freezing dynamics, this methane may have been displaced downwards tens of meters during freezing and has accumulated in the lithological pockets. -
Forestry As a Natural Climate Solution: the Positive Outcomes of Negative Carbon Emissions
PNW Pacific Northwest Research Station INSIDE Tracking Carbon Through Forests and Streams . 2 Mapping Carbon in Soil. .3 Alaska Land Carbon Project . .4 What’s Next in Carbon Cycle Research . 4 FINDINGS issue two hundred twenty-five / march 2020 “Science affects the way we think together.” Lewis Thomas Forestry as a Natural Climate Solution: The Positive Outcomes of Negative Carbon Emissions IN SUMMARY Forests are considered a natural solu- tion for mitigating climate change David D’A more because they absorb and store atmos- pheric carbon. With Alaska boasting 129 million acres of forest, this state can play a crucial role as a carbon sink for the United States. Until recently, the vol- ume of carbon stored in Alaska’s forests was unknown, as was their future car- bon sequestration capacity. In 2007, Congress passed the Energy Independence and Security Act that directed the Department of the Inte- rior to assess the stock and flow of carbon in all the lands and waters of the United States. In 2012, a team com- posed of researchers with the U.S. Geological Survey, U.S. Forest Ser- vice, and the University of Alaska assessed how much carbon Alaska’s An unthinned, even-aged stand in southeast Alaska. New research on carbon sequestration in the region’s coastal temperate rainforests, and how this may change over the next 80 years, is helping land managers forests can sequester. evaluate tradeoffs among management options. The researchers concluded that ecosys- tems of Alaska could be a substantial “Stones have been known to move sunlight, water, and atmospheric carbon diox- carbon sink. -
Managing Winter Injury to Trees and Shrubs
Publication 426-500 Managing Winter Injury to Trees and Shrubs Diane Relf Extension Specialist, Horticulture, and Bonnie Appleton, Extension Specialist, Horticulture; Virginia Tech Reviewed by David Close, Consumer Horticulture and Master Gardener Specialist, Horticulture, Virginia Tech Introduction evergreen needles or leaves. It is worst on the side facing the wind. This can be particularly serious if plants are It is often necessary to provide extra attention to plants near a white house where the sun’s rays reflect off the in the fall to help them over-winter and start spring in side, causing extra damage. peak condition. Understanding certain principles and cultural practices will significantly reduce winter damage Management: Proper watering can is a critical factor in that can be divided into three categories: desiccation, winterizing. If autumn rains have been insufficient, give freezing, and breakage. plants a deep soaking that will supply water to the entire root system before the ground freezes. This practice is Desiccation especially important for evergreens. Watering when there Desiccation, or drying out, is a significant cause of dam- are warm days during January, February, and March is age, particularly on evergreens. Desiccation occurs when also important. water leaves the plant faster than it is taken up. Several environmental factors can influence desiccation. Needles Also, mulching is an important control for erosion and and leaves of evergreens transpire some moisture even loss of water. A 2-inch layer of mulch will reduce water during the winter months. During severely cold weather, loss and help maintain uniform soil moisture around the ground may freeze to a depth beyond the extent of roots. -
Oliva Vieira 2017.Pdf
Catena 149 (2017) 637–647 Contents lists available at ScienceDirect Catena journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/catena Soil temperatures in an Atlantic high mountain environment: The Forcadona buried ice patch (Picos de Europa, NW Spain) Jesús Ruiz-Fernández a,⁎,MarcOlivab, Filip Hrbáček c, Gonçalo Vieira b, Cristina García-Hernández a a Department of Geography, University of Oviedo, Oviedo, Spain b Centre for Geographical Studies, Institute of Geography and Spatial Planning, Universidade de Lisboa, Lisbon, Portugal c Department of Geography, Masaryk University, Brno, Czech Republic article info abstract Article history: The present study focuses on the analysis of the ground and near-rock surface air thermal conditions at the Received 15 February 2016 Forcadona glacial cirque (2227 m a.s.l.) located in the Western Massif of the Picos de Europa, Spain. Temperatures Received in revised form 13 June 2016 have been monitored in three distinct geomorphological and topographical sites in the Forcadona area over the Accepted 27 June 2016 period 2006–11. The Forcadona buried ice patch is the remnant of a Little Ice Age glacier located in the bottom of a Available online 1 August 2016 glacial cirque. Its location in a deep cirque determines abundant snow accumulation, with snow cover between 8 and 12 months. The presence of snow favours stable soil temperatures and geomorphic stability. Similarly to Keywords: fi Soil temperatures other Cantabrian Mountains, the annual thermal regime of the soil is de ned by two seasonal periods (continu- Cirque wall temperatures ous thaw with daily oscillations and isothermal regime), as well as two short transition periods. -
Changes in Peat Chemistry Associated with Permafrost Thaw Increase Greenhouse Gas Production
Changes in peat chemistry associated with permafrost thaw increase greenhouse gas production Suzanne B. Hodgkinsa,1, Malak M. Tfailya, Carmody K. McCalleyb, Tyler A. Loganc, Patrick M. Crilld, Scott R. Saleskab, Virginia I. Riche, and Jeffrey P. Chantona,1 aDepartment of Earth, Ocean, and Atmospheric Science, Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL 32306; bDepartment of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ 85721; cAbisko Scientific Research Station, Swedish Polar Research Secretariat, SE-981 07 Abisko, Sweden; dDepartment of Geological Sciences, Stockholm University, SE-106 91 Stockholm, Sweden; and eDepartment of Soil, Water and Environmental Science, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ 85721 Edited by Nigel Roulet, McGill University, Montreal, Canada, and accepted by the Editorial Board March 7, 2014 (received for review August 1, 2013) 13 Carbon release due to permafrost thaw represents a potentially during CH4 production (10–12, 16, 17), δ CCH4 also depends on 13 major positive climate change feedback. The magnitude of carbon δ CCO2,soweusethemorerobustparameterαC (10) to repre- loss and the proportion lost as methane (CH4) vs. carbon dioxide sent the isotopic separation between CH4 and CO2.Despitethe ’ (CO2) depend on factors including temperature, mobilization of two production pathways stoichiometric equivalence (17), they previously frozen carbon, hydrology, and changes in organic mat- are governed by different environmental controls (18). Dis- ter chemistry associated with environmental responses to thaw. tinguishing these controls and further mapping them is therefore While the first three of these effects are relatively well under- essential for predicting future changes in CH4 formation under stood, the effect of organic matter chemistry remains largely un- changing environmental conditions.