Abstract
The future trajectory of greenhouse gas concentrations depends on interactions between climate and the biogeosphere. Thawing of Arctic permafrost could release significant amounts of carbon into the atmosphere in this century. Ancient Ice Complex deposits outcropping along the ĝ̂1/47,000- kilometre-long coastline of the East Siberian Arctic Shelf (ESAS), and associated shallow subsea permafrost, are two large pools of permafrost carbon, yet their vulnerabilities towards thawing and decomposition are largely unknown. Recent Arctic warming is stronger than has been predicted by several degrees, and is particularly pronounced over the coastal ESAS region. There is thus a pressing need to improve our understanding of the links between permafrost carbon and climate in this relatively inaccessible region. Here we show that extensive release of carbon from these Ice Complex deposits dominates (57ĝ€‰ ±ĝ€‰2 per cent) the sedimentary carbon budget of the ESAS, the worldĝ€™s largest continental shelf, overwhelming the marine and topsoil terrestrial components. Inverse modelling of the dual-carbon isotope composition of organic carbon accumulating in ESAS surface sediments, using Monte Carlo simulations to account for uncertainties, suggests that 44ĝ€‰ ±ĝ€ ‰10 teragrams of old carbon is activated annually from Ice Complex permafrost, an order of magnitude more than has been suggested by previous studies. We estimate that about two-thirds (66ĝ€‰ ±ĝ€‰16 per cent) of this old carbon escapes to the atmosphere as carbon dioxide, with the remainder being re-buried in shelf sediments. Thermal collapse and erosion of these carbon-rich Pleistocene coastline and seafloor deposits may accelerate with Arctic amplification of climate warming.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 137-140 |
| Number of pages | 4 |
| Journal | Nature |
| Volume | 489 |
| Issue number | 7414 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - 6 Sep 2012 |
| Externally published | Yes |
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Activation of old carbon by erosion of coastal and subsea permafrost in Arctic Siberia. / Vonk, J. E.; Sanchez-Garca, L.; Van Dongen, B. E.; Alling, V.; Kosmach, D.; Charkin, A.; Semiletov, Igor Petrovich; Dudarev, Oleg Victorovich; Shakhova, Natalia Evgenievna; Roos, P.; Eglinton, T. I.; Andersson, A.; Gustafsson, A.
In: Nature, Vol. 489, No. 7414, 06.09.2012, p. 137-140.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article
}
TY - JOUR
T1 - Activation of old carbon by erosion of coastal and subsea permafrost in Arctic Siberia
AU - Vonk, J. E.
AU - Sanchez-Garca, L.
AU - Van Dongen, B. E.
AU - Alling, V.
AU - Kosmach, D.
AU - Charkin, A.
AU - Semiletov, Igor Petrovich
AU - Dudarev, Oleg Victorovich
AU - Shakhova, Natalia Evgenievna
AU - Roos, P.
AU - Eglinton, T. I.
AU - Andersson, A.
AU - Gustafsson, A.
PY - 2012/9/6
Y1 - 2012/9/6
N2 - The future trajectory of greenhouse gas concentrations depends on interactions between climate and the biogeosphere. Thawing of Arctic permafrost could release significant amounts of carbon into the atmosphere in this century. Ancient Ice Complex deposits outcropping along the ĝ̂1/47,000- kilometre-long coastline of the East Siberian Arctic Shelf (ESAS), and associated shallow subsea permafrost, are two large pools of permafrost carbon, yet their vulnerabilities towards thawing and decomposition are largely unknown. Recent Arctic warming is stronger than has been predicted by several degrees, and is particularly pronounced over the coastal ESAS region. There is thus a pressing need to improve our understanding of the links between permafrost carbon and climate in this relatively inaccessible region. Here we show that extensive release of carbon from these Ice Complex deposits dominates (57ĝ€‰ ±ĝ€‰2 per cent) the sedimentary carbon budget of the ESAS, the worldĝ€™s largest continental shelf, overwhelming the marine and topsoil terrestrial components. Inverse modelling of the dual-carbon isotope composition of organic carbon accumulating in ESAS surface sediments, using Monte Carlo simulations to account for uncertainties, suggests that 44ĝ€‰ ±ĝ€ ‰10 teragrams of old carbon is activated annually from Ice Complex permafrost, an order of magnitude more than has been suggested by previous studies. We estimate that about two-thirds (66ĝ€‰ ±ĝ€‰16 per cent) of this old carbon escapes to the atmosphere as carbon dioxide, with the remainder being re-buried in shelf sediments. Thermal collapse and erosion of these carbon-rich Pleistocene coastline and seafloor deposits may accelerate with Arctic amplification of climate warming.
AB - The future trajectory of greenhouse gas concentrations depends on interactions between climate and the biogeosphere. Thawing of Arctic permafrost could release significant amounts of carbon into the atmosphere in this century. Ancient Ice Complex deposits outcropping along the ĝ̂1/47,000- kilometre-long coastline of the East Siberian Arctic Shelf (ESAS), and associated shallow subsea permafrost, are two large pools of permafrost carbon, yet their vulnerabilities towards thawing and decomposition are largely unknown. Recent Arctic warming is stronger than has been predicted by several degrees, and is particularly pronounced over the coastal ESAS region. There is thus a pressing need to improve our understanding of the links between permafrost carbon and climate in this relatively inaccessible region. Here we show that extensive release of carbon from these Ice Complex deposits dominates (57ĝ€‰ ±ĝ€‰2 per cent) the sedimentary carbon budget of the ESAS, the worldĝ€™s largest continental shelf, overwhelming the marine and topsoil terrestrial components. Inverse modelling of the dual-carbon isotope composition of organic carbon accumulating in ESAS surface sediments, using Monte Carlo simulations to account for uncertainties, suggests that 44ĝ€‰ ±ĝ€ ‰10 teragrams of old carbon is activated annually from Ice Complex permafrost, an order of magnitude more than has been suggested by previous studies. We estimate that about two-thirds (66ĝ€‰ ±ĝ€‰16 per cent) of this old carbon escapes to the atmosphere as carbon dioxide, with the remainder being re-buried in shelf sediments. Thermal collapse and erosion of these carbon-rich Pleistocene coastline and seafloor deposits may accelerate with Arctic amplification of climate warming.
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U2 - 10.1038/nature11392
DO - 10.1038/nature11392
M3 - Article
VL - 489
SP - 137
EP - 140
JO - Nature
JF - Nature
SN - 0028-0836
IS - 7414
ER -