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Greenhouse gas emissions from diverse Arctic Alaskan lakes are dominated by young carbon

Author

Listed:
  • Clayton D. Elder

    (University of California)

  • Xiaomei Xu

    (University of California)

  • Jennifer Walker

    (University of California)

  • Jordan L. Schnell

    (University of California
    Northwestern University)

  • Kenneth M. Hinkel

    (University of Cincinnati
    Michigan Technological University)

  • Amy Townsend-Small

    (University of Cincinnati)

  • Christopher D. Arp

    (University of Alaska)

  • John W. Pohlman

    (USGS Woods Hole Coastal and Marine Science Center)

  • Benjamin V. Gaglioti

    (Lamont–Doherty Earth Observatory of Columbia University)

  • Claudia I. Czimczik

    (University of California)

Abstract

Climate-sensitive Arctic lakes have been identified as conduits for ancient permafrost-carbon (C) emissions and as such accelerate warming. However, the environmental factors that control emission pathways and their sources are unclear; this complicates upscaling, forecasting and climate-impact-assessment efforts. Here we show that current whole-lake CH4 and CO2 emissions from widespread lakes in Arctic Alaska primarily originate from organic matter fixed within the past 3–4 millennia (modern to 3,300 ± 70 years before the present), and not from Pleistocene permafrost C. Furthermore, almost 100% of the annual diffusive C flux is emitted as CO2. Although the lakes mostly processed younger C (89 ± 3% of total C emissions), minor contributions from ancient C sources were two times greater in fine-textured versus coarse-textured Pleistocene sediments, which emphasizes the importance of the underlying geological substrate in current and future emissions. This spatially extensive survey considered the environmental and temporal variability necessary to monitor and forecast the fate of ancient permafrost C as Arctic warming progresses.

Suggested Citation

  • Clayton D. Elder & Xiaomei Xu & Jennifer Walker & Jordan L. Schnell & Kenneth M. Hinkel & Amy Townsend-Small & Christopher D. Arp & John W. Pohlman & Benjamin V. Gaglioti & Claudia I. Czimczik, 2018. "Greenhouse gas emissions from diverse Arctic Alaskan lakes are dominated by young carbon," Nature Climate Change, Nature, vol. 8(2), pages 166-171, February.
    • Handle: RePEc:nat:natcli:v:8:y:2018:i:2:d:10.1038_s41558-017-0066-9
    DOI: 10.1038/s41558-017-0066-9
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    Cited by:

    1. Guibiao Yang & Zhihu Zheng & Benjamin W. Abbott & David Olefeldt & Christian Knoblauch & Yutong Song & Luyao Kang & Shuqi Qin & Yunfeng Peng & Yuanhe Yang, 2023. "Characteristics of methane emissions from alpine thermokarst lakes on the Tibetan Plateau," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 14(1), pages 1-11, December.
    2. Xingchen Huang & Yuning Zou & Cece Qiao & Qiumeng Liu & Jingwen Liu & Rui Kang & Lantian Ren & Wenge Wu, 2023. "Effects of Biological Nitrification Inhibitor on Nitrous Oxide and nosZ, nirK, nirS Denitrifying Bacteria in Paddy Soils," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(6), pages 1-12, March.

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