ALBERT

Description: This dataset is a synthesis of published nitrous oxide (N2O) fluxes from permafrost-affected soils in Arctic, Antarctic, and Alpine permafrost regions. The data includes mean N2O flux rates measured under field (in situ) conditions and in intact plant-soil systems (mesocosms) under near-field conditions. The dataset further includes explanatory environmental parameters such as meteorological data, soil physical-chemical properties, as well as site and experimental information. Data has been synthesized from published studies (see 'Further details'), and in some cases the authors of published studies have been contacted for additional site-level information. The dataset includes studies published until 2019. We encourage linking additional N2O flux data from unpublished and future studies with similar metadata structure to this dataset, to produce a comprehensive, findable database for N2O fluxes from permafrost regions.

Description: This dataset merges nitrogen data from the Yedoma domain. It includes numerous fieldwork campaigns, which take place since 1998. In total 467 samples from the active layer (seasonally thawed layer), 175 samples from perennially frozen Holocene cover deposits, 479 samples from thermokarst deposits in drained thermokarst, 175 in-situ thawed, diagenetically (anaerobic microbial decomposition possible during unfrozen phase) altered Yedoma deposits (called Taberite), and 917 samples from frozen Yedoma deposits are included. Moreover it includes a NH4+ and NO3- quantification basing on of 658 samples, including 378 data points for NH4+ (active layer, 93; Holocene cover, 108; thermokarst sediment, 138; Taberite, 0; Yedoma deposit, 39) and 542 data points for NO3- (active layer, 94; Holocene cover, 137; thermokarst sediment, 119; Taberite, 6; Yedoma deposit, 186). The bootstrapping code we adjusted for this study is available from Zenodo (Jongejans & Strauss, 2020, doi:10.5281/zenodo.3734247). The code is published under a GNU General Public License v3.0. The included areal estimation of the Yedoma domain was used from the IRYP database (Strauss et al., 2022, doi:10.1594/PANGAEA.940078).

Description: Carbon (C) release from thawing permafrost is potentially the largest climate feedback from terrestrial ecosystems. However, the magnitude of this feedback remains highly uncertain, partly due to the limited understanding of how abrupt permafrost thaw (e.g., permafrost collapse) alters soil organic matter (SOM) quality. Here we employed elemental analysis, stable isotope analysis, biomarker and nuclear magnetic resonance techniques to explore changes in soil C concentration and stock as well as SOM quality following permafrost collapse on the Tibetan Plateau. Our results showed that permafrost collapse resulted in a 21% decrease in soil C concentration and a 32% reduction in C stock of the top 15 cm of soil over 16 years. Moreover, permafrost collapse led to a significant decline in SOM quality: the relative abundance of labile SOM fractions (e.g., carbohydrates) decreased, whereas recalcitrant SOM fractions (e.g., suberin-derived compounds) increased 16 years after collapse. By contrast, the relative abundances of labile and recalcitrant compounds showed no significant differences in the control plots along the thaw sequence. These results demonstrate that permafrost collapse and consequent changes in soil environmental conditions could trigger substantial C release on decadal timescales, implying that abrupt thaw may be a dominant mechanism exposing soil C to mineralization.

Description: First permafrost carbon models suggest that deep carbon pools need to be considered for simulating the full permafrost-carbon feedback. After Hugelius et al. (2014) we consider "deep" soil carbon pools as those found below 3 meter from the land surface. Though all permafrost can be affected by degradation, thawing and erosion of thick permafrost deposits containing ice and carbon may cause particularly strong feedbacks to permafrost ecosystems by surface subsidence and to the carbon cycle by releasing substantial amounts of carbon previously frozen for millennia. In this synthesis study we aim at discussing the size, distribution, qualities and vulnerabilities of deep carbon pools in peatlands, Yedoma, river deltas, thermokarst basins, and other deep deposits in permafrost regions to evaluate opportunities for a comprehensive synthesis of existing datasets.

Description: Nitrogen regulates multiple aspects of the permafrost climate feedback, including plant growth, organic matter decomposition, and the production of the potent greenhouse gas nitrous oxide. Despite its importance, current estimates of permafrost nitrogen are highly uncertain. Here, we compiled a dataset of 〉2000 samples to quantify nitrogen stocks in the Yedoma domain, a region with organic-rich permafrost that contains ~25% of all permafrost carbon. We estimate that the Yedoma domain contains 41.2 gigatons of nitrogen down to ~20 metre for the deepest unit, which increases the previous estimate for the entire permafrost zone by ~46%. Approximately 90% of this nitrogen (37 gigatons) is stored in permafrost and therefore currently immobile and frozen. Here, we show that of this amount, ¾ is stored 〉3 metre depth, but if partially mobilised by thaw, this large nitrogen pool could have continental-scale consequences for soil and aquatic biogeochemistry and global-scale consequences for the permafrost feedback.

Description: Large stocks of soil organic carbon (SOC) have accumulated in the northern hemisphere permafrost region, but their current mounts and future fate remain uncertain. By analyzing an unprecedented dataset combining 〉2,700 soil profiles with environmental variables in a geospatial framework, we generated spatially explicit estimates of permafrost-region SOC stocks, quantified spatial heterogeneity, and identified key environmental predictors. We estimated 1014−175+194 Pg C are stored in the top 3 m of permafrost region soils. The greatest uncertainties occurred in circumpolar toe-slope positions and in flat areas of the Tibetan region. We found that soil wetness index and elevation are the dominant topographic controllers and surface air temperature (circumpolar region) and precipitation (Tibetan region) are significant climatic controllers of SOC stocks. Our results provide the first high-resolution geospatial assessment of permafrost region SOC stocks and their relationships with environmental factors, which are crucial for modeling the response of permafrost affected soils to changing climate.

Description: Climate change is an existential threat to the vast global permafrost domain. The diverse human cultures, ecological communities, and biogeochemical cycles of this tenth of the planet depend on the persistence of frozen conditions. The complexity, immensity, and remoteness of permafrost ecosystems make it difficult to grasp how quickly things are changing and what can be done about it. Here, we summarize terrestrial and marine changes in the permafrost domain with an eye toward global policy. While many questions remain, we know that continued fossil fuel burning is incompatible with the continued existence of the permafrost domain as we know it. If we fail to protect permafrost ecosystems, the consequences for human rights, biosphere integrity, and global climate will be severe. The policy implications are clear: the faster we reduce human emissions and draw down atmospheric CO2, the more of the permafrost domain we can save. Emissions reduction targets must be strengthened and accompanied by support for local peoples to protect intact ecological communities and natural carbon sinks within the permafrost domain. Some proposed geoengineering interventions such as solar shading, surface albedo modification, and vegetation manipulations are unproven and may exacerbate environmental injustice without providing lasting protection. Conversely, astounding advances in renewable energy have reopened viable pathways to halve human greenhouse gas emissions by 2030 and effectively stop them well before 2050. We call on leaders, corporations, researchers, and citizens everywhere to acknowledge the global importance of the permafrost domain and work towards climate restoration and empowerment of Indigenous and immigrant communities in these regions.

Description: Permafrost is perennially frozen ground, such as soil, rock, and ice. In permafrost regions, plant and microbial life persists primarily in the near-surface soil that thaws every summer, called the ‘active layer’ (Figure 20). The cold and wet conditions in many permafrost regions limit decomposition of organic matter. In combination with soil mixing processes caused by repeated freezing and thawing, this has led to the accumulation of large stocks of soil organic carbon in the permafrost zone over multi-millennial timescales. As the climate warms, permafrost carbon could be highly vulnerable to climatic warming. Permafrost occurs primarily in high latitudes (e.g. Arctic and Antarctic) and at high elevation (e.g. Tibetan Plateau, Figure 21). The thickness of permafrost varies from less than 1 m (in boreal peatlands) to more than 1 500 m (in Yakutia). The coldest permafrost is found in the Transantarctic Mountains in Antarctica (−36°C) and in northern Canada for the Northern Hemisphere (-15°C; Obu et al., 2019, 2020). In contrast, some of the warmest permafrost occurs in peatlands in areas with mean air temperatures above 0°C. Here permafrost exists because thick peat layers insulate the ground during the summer. Most of the permafrost existing today formed during cold glacials (e.g. before 12 000 years ago) and has persisted through warmer interglacials. Some shallow permafrost (max 30–70m depth) formed during the Holocene (past 5000 years) and some even during the Little Ice Age from 400–150 years ago. There are few extensive regions suitable for row crop agriculture in the permafrost zone. Additionally, in areas where large-scale agriculture has been conducted, ground destabilization has been common. Surface disturbance such as plowing or trampling of vegetation can alter the thermal regime of the soil, potentially triggering surface subsidence or abrupt collapse. This may influence soil hydrology, nutrient cycling, and organic matter storage. These changes often have acute and negative consequences for continued agricultural use of such landscapes. Thus, row-crop agriculture could have a negative impact on permafrost (e.g. Grünzweig et al., 2014). Conversely, animal husbandry is widespread in the permafrost zone, including horses, cattle, and reindeer.