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Reviews and syntheses : Changing ecosystem influences on soil thermal regimes in northern high-latitude permafrost regions

Loranty, Michael M. ; Abbott, Benjamin W. ; Blok, Daan LU ; Douglas, Thomas A. ; Epstein, Howard E. ; Forbes, Bruce C. ; Jones, Benjamin M. ; Kholodov, Alexander L. ; Kropp, Heather and Malhotra, Avni , et al. (2018) In Biogeosciences 15(17). p.5287-5313
Abstract

Soils in Arctic and boreal ecosystems store twice as much carbon as the atmosphere, a portion of which may be released as high-latitude soils warm. Some of the uncertainty in the timing and magnitude of the permafrost-climate feedback stems from complex interactions between ecosystem properties and soil thermal dynamics. Terrestrial ecosystems fundamentally regulate the response of permafrost to climate change by influencing surface energy partitioning and the thermal properties of soil itself. Here we review how Arctic and boreal ecosystem processes influence thermal dynamics in permafrost soil and how these linkages may evolve in response to climate change. While many of the ecosystem characteristics and processes affecting soil... (More)

Soils in Arctic and boreal ecosystems store twice as much carbon as the atmosphere, a portion of which may be released as high-latitude soils warm. Some of the uncertainty in the timing and magnitude of the permafrost-climate feedback stems from complex interactions between ecosystem properties and soil thermal dynamics. Terrestrial ecosystems fundamentally regulate the response of permafrost to climate change by influencing surface energy partitioning and the thermal properties of soil itself. Here we review how Arctic and boreal ecosystem processes influence thermal dynamics in permafrost soil and how these linkages may evolve in response to climate change. While many of the ecosystem characteristics and processes affecting soil thermal dynamics have been examined individually (e.g., vegetation, soil moisture, and soil structure), interactions among these processes are less understood. Changes in ecosystem type and vegetation characteristics will alter spatial patterns of interactions between climate and permafrost. In addition to shrub expansion, other vegetation responses to changes in climate and rapidly changing disturbance regimes will affect ecosystem surface energy partitioning in ways that are important for permafrost. Lastly, changes in vegetation and ecosystem distribution will lead to regional and global biophysical and biogeochemical climate feedbacks that may compound or offset local impacts on permafrost soils. Consequently, accurate prediction of the permafrost carbon climate feedback will require detailed understanding of changes in terrestrial ecosystem distribution and function, which depend on the net effects of multiple feedback processes operating across scales in space and time.

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publishing date
type
Contribution to journal
publication status
published
subject
in
Biogeosciences
volume
15
issue
17
pages
27 pages
publisher
Copernicus GmbH
external identifiers
  • scopus:85052808781
ISSN
1726-4170
DOI
10.5194/bg-15-5287-2018
language
English
LU publication?
yes
id
a7b9b645-9b8a-45ac-84de-6e147367cc7a
date added to LUP
2018-09-25 14:40:38
date last changed
2022-04-25 17:16:38
@article{a7b9b645-9b8a-45ac-84de-6e147367cc7a,
  abstract     = {{<p>Soils in Arctic and boreal ecosystems store twice as much carbon as the atmosphere, a portion of which may be released as high-latitude soils warm. Some of the uncertainty in the timing and magnitude of the permafrost-climate feedback stems from complex interactions between ecosystem properties and soil thermal dynamics. Terrestrial ecosystems fundamentally regulate the response of permafrost to climate change by influencing surface energy partitioning and the thermal properties of soil itself. Here we review how Arctic and boreal ecosystem processes influence thermal dynamics in permafrost soil and how these linkages may evolve in response to climate change. While many of the ecosystem characteristics and processes affecting soil thermal dynamics have been examined individually (e.g., vegetation, soil moisture, and soil structure), interactions among these processes are less understood. Changes in ecosystem type and vegetation characteristics will alter spatial patterns of interactions between climate and permafrost. In addition to shrub expansion, other vegetation responses to changes in climate and rapidly changing disturbance regimes will affect ecosystem surface energy partitioning in ways that are important for permafrost. Lastly, changes in vegetation and ecosystem distribution will lead to regional and global biophysical and biogeochemical climate feedbacks that may compound or offset local impacts on permafrost soils. Consequently, accurate prediction of the permafrost carbon climate feedback will require detailed understanding of changes in terrestrial ecosystem distribution and function, which depend on the net effects of multiple feedback processes operating across scales in space and time.</p>}},
  author       = {{Loranty, Michael M. and Abbott, Benjamin W. and Blok, Daan and Douglas, Thomas A. and Epstein, Howard E. and Forbes, Bruce C. and Jones, Benjamin M. and Kholodov, Alexander L. and Kropp, Heather and Malhotra, Avni and Mamet, Steven D. and Myers-Smith, Isla H. and Natali, Susan M. and O'Donnell, Jonathan A. and Phoenix, Gareth K. and Rocha, Adrian V. and Sonnentag, Oliver and Tape, Ken D. and Walker, Donald A.}},
  issn         = {{1726-4170}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  month        = {{08}},
  number       = {{17}},
  pages        = {{5287--5313}},
  publisher    = {{Copernicus GmbH}},
  series       = {{Biogeosciences}},
  title        = {{Reviews and syntheses : Changing ecosystem influences on soil thermal regimes in northern high-latitude permafrost regions}},
  url          = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.5194/bg-15-5287-2018}},
  doi          = {{10.5194/bg-15-5287-2018}},
  volume       = {{15}},
  year         = {{2018}},
}