Large CO₂ and CH₄ emissions from polygonal tundra during spring thaw in northern Alaska

Authors

Naama Raz-Yaseef, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory
Margaret S. Torn, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory
Yuxin Wu, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory
David P. Billesbach, University of Nebraska-LincolnFollow
Anna K. Liljedahl, University of Alaska Fairbanks
Timothy J. Kneafsey, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory
Vladimir E. Romanovsky, University of Alaska Fairbanks
David R. Cook, Argonne National Laboratory
Stan D. Wullschleger, Oak Ridge National Laboratory

Document Type

Article

Date of this Version

2017

Citation

Raz-Yaseef, N., M. S. Torn, Y. Wu, D. P. Billesbach, A. K. Liljedahl, T. J. Kneafsey, V. E. Romanovsky, D. R. Cook, and S. D. Wullschleger (2017), Large CO₂ and CH₄ emissions from polygonal tundra during spring thaw in northern Alaska, Geophys. Res. Lett., 44, 504–513, doi:10.1002/2016GL071220.

Comments

©2016. American Geophysical Union.

Abstract

The few prethaw observations of tundra carbon fluxes suggest that there may be large spring releases, but little is known about the scale and underlying mechanisms of this phenomenon. To address these questions, we combined ecosystem eddy flux measurements from two towers near Barrow, Alaska, with mechanistic soil-core thawing experiment. During a 2 week period prior to snowmelt in 2014, large fluxes were measured, reducing net summer uptake of CO₂ by 46% and adding 6% to cumulative CH₄ emissions. Emission pulses were linked to unique rain-on-snow events enhancing soil cracking. Controlled laboratory experiment revealed that as surface ice thaws, an immediate, large pulse of trapped gases is emitted. These results suggest that the Arctic CO₂ and CH₄ spring pulse is a delayed release of biogenic gas production from the previous fall and that the pulse can be large enough to offset a significant fraction of the moderate Arctic tundra carbon sink.