Vulnerability of inland waters and the aquatic carbon cycle to changing permafrost and climate across boreal northwestern North America
This project combines hydrology, carbon chemistry, and geophysical techniques to identify thawing landscapes and the correct scale for quantifying hydrologic transport and biogeochemical transformations of ancient carbon.Abstract
Carbon released from thawing permafrost may fuel terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems or contribute to greenhouse warming, leading to a potential feedback and further thaw. While we can see the landscape effects of thaw in boreal Alaska, finding and tracking ancient carbon released from thawing permafrost is difficult, due to the rapidity at which it is assimilated into the ecosystem. This project aims to rigorously quantify the flux and biogeochemical transformation of ancient carbon from representative landscapes of boreal Alaska using three approaches: 1) detailed characterization of carbon concentration, quality, and age in soils, streams, and lakes 2) geophysical characterization of thawing landscapes, and increasing subsurface hydrologic connectivity 3) quantification of groundwater – surface water interactions to explain the mechanisms and timescales at which thawed material moves from soils to surface waters. Together, these approaches will improve our understanding of the link between thawing landscapes and boreal ecosystems, and our ability to predict future changes.
Products
| Title | Type |
|---|---|
| Water Level, Temperature, and Discharge of Headwater Streams in the Yukon River Basin, Alaska, 2016 and 2017 | Data |
Contacts
Striegl, Rob , 303-541-3091Striegl, Rob , 303.541.3091
Walvoord, Michelle A., 303.236.4998
Status: onGoing
Start Year: 2016
End Year: 2018