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Fourfold higher tundra volatile emissions due to arctic summer warming

Lindwall, Frida ; Schollert, Michelle ; Michelsen, Anders ; Blok, Daan LU and Rinnan, Riikka LU (2016) In Journal of Geophysical Research - Biogeosciences 121(3). p.895-902
Abstract

Biogenic volatile organic compounds (BVOCs), which are mainly emitted by vegetation, may create either positive or negative climate forcing feedbacks. In the Subarctic, BVOC emissions are highly responsive to temperature, but the effects of climatic warming on BVOC emissions have not been assessed in more extreme arctic ecosystems. The Arctic undergoes rapid climate change, with air temperatures increasing at twice the rate of the global mean. Also, the amount of winter precipitation is projected to increase in large areas of the Arctic, and it is unknown how winter snow depth affects BVOC emissions during summer. Here we examine the responses of BVOC emissions to experimental summer warming and winter snow addition - each treatment... (More)

Biogenic volatile organic compounds (BVOCs), which are mainly emitted by vegetation, may create either positive or negative climate forcing feedbacks. In the Subarctic, BVOC emissions are highly responsive to temperature, but the effects of climatic warming on BVOC emissions have not been assessed in more extreme arctic ecosystems. The Arctic undergoes rapid climate change, with air temperatures increasing at twice the rate of the global mean. Also, the amount of winter precipitation is projected to increase in large areas of the Arctic, and it is unknown how winter snow depth affects BVOC emissions during summer. Here we examine the responses of BVOC emissions to experimental summer warming and winter snow addition - each treatment alone and in combination - in an arctic heath during two growing seasons. We observed a 280% increase relative to ambient in BVOC emissions in response to a 4°C summer warming. Snow addition had minor effects on growing season BVOC emissions after one winter but decreased BVOC emissions after the second winter. We also examined differences between canopy and air temperatures and found that the tundra canopy surface was on average 7.7°C and maximum 21.6°C warmer than air. This large difference suggests that the tundra surface temperature is an important driver for emissions of BVOCs, which are temperature dependent. Our results demonstrate a strong response of BVOC emissions to increasing temperatures in the Arctic, suggesting that emission rates will increase with climate warming and thereby feed back to regional climate change.

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author
; ; ; and
publishing date
type
Contribution to journal
publication status
published
subject
keywords
BVOC, climate change, snow depth, temperature, terpenes, tundra
in
Journal of Geophysical Research - Biogeosciences
volume
121
issue
3
pages
8 pages
publisher
Wiley
external identifiers
  • scopus:84962207563
ISSN
2169-8953
DOI
10.1002/2015JG003295
language
English
LU publication?
no
id
f7e19ad0-99d1-49ab-a6ce-442d10d554a3
date added to LUP
2016-06-29 22:04:22
date last changed
2022-02-21 19:14:31
@article{f7e19ad0-99d1-49ab-a6ce-442d10d554a3,
  abstract     = {{<p>Biogenic volatile organic compounds (BVOCs), which are mainly emitted by vegetation, may create either positive or negative climate forcing feedbacks. In the Subarctic, BVOC emissions are highly responsive to temperature, but the effects of climatic warming on BVOC emissions have not been assessed in more extreme arctic ecosystems. The Arctic undergoes rapid climate change, with air temperatures increasing at twice the rate of the global mean. Also, the amount of winter precipitation is projected to increase in large areas of the Arctic, and it is unknown how winter snow depth affects BVOC emissions during summer. Here we examine the responses of BVOC emissions to experimental summer warming and winter snow addition - each treatment alone and in combination - in an arctic heath during two growing seasons. We observed a 280% increase relative to ambient in BVOC emissions in response to a 4°C summer warming. Snow addition had minor effects on growing season BVOC emissions after one winter but decreased BVOC emissions after the second winter. We also examined differences between canopy and air temperatures and found that the tundra canopy surface was on average 7.7°C and maximum 21.6°C warmer than air. This large difference suggests that the tundra surface temperature is an important driver for emissions of BVOCs, which are temperature dependent. Our results demonstrate a strong response of BVOC emissions to increasing temperatures in the Arctic, suggesting that emission rates will increase with climate warming and thereby feed back to regional climate change.</p>}},
  author       = {{Lindwall, Frida and Schollert, Michelle and Michelsen, Anders and Blok, Daan and Rinnan, Riikka}},
  issn         = {{2169-8953}},
  keywords     = {{BVOC; climate change; snow depth; temperature; terpenes; tundra}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  month        = {{03}},
  number       = {{3}},
  pages        = {{895--902}},
  publisher    = {{Wiley}},
  series       = {{Journal of Geophysical Research - Biogeosciences}},
  title        = {{Fourfold higher tundra volatile emissions due to arctic summer warming}},
  url          = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/2015JG003295}},
  doi          = {{10.1002/2015JG003295}},
  volume       = {{121}},
  year         = {{2016}},
}