ALBERT

Description: Stable isotope analysis is a powerful tool for tracing biogeochemical processes in the carbon and water cycles. One particularly powerful approach is to employ multiple isotopes where the simultaneous assessment of the D/H,18O/16O and/or 13C/12C in different compounds provide a unique means to investigate the coupling of water and carbon fluxes at various temporal and spatial scales. Here, we present a research update on recent advances in our process-based understanding of the utilization of carbon, oxygen and hydrogen isotopes to lend insight into carbon and water cycling. We highlight recent technological developments and approaches, their strengths and methodological precautions with examples covering scales from minutes to centuries and from the leaf to the globe.

Description: Understanding how the hydrologic cycle has responded to warmer global temperatures in the past is especially important today as concentrations of CO2 in the atmosphere continue to increase due to human activities. The Pliocene offers an ideal window into a climate system that has equilibrated with current atmospheric pCO2. During the Pliocene the western United States was wetter than modern, an observation at odds with our current understanding of future warming scenarios, which involve the expansion and poleward migration of the subtropical dry zone. Here we compare Pliocene oxygen isotope profiles of pedogenic carbonates across the western US to modern isotopic anomalies in precipitation between phases of the El Niño–Southern Oscillation (ENSO). We find that when accounting for seasonality of carbonate formation, isotopic changes through the late Pliocene match modern precipitation isotopic anomalies in El Niño years. Furthermore, isotopic shifts through the late Pliocene mirror changes through the early Pleistocene, which likely represents the southward migration of the westerly storm track caused by growth of the Laurentide ice sheet. We propose that the westerly storm track migrated northward through the late Pliocene with the development of the modern cold tongue in the east equatorial Pacific, then returned southward with widespread glaciation in the Northern Hemisphere – a scenario supported by terrestrial climate proxies across the US. Together these data support the proposed existence of background El Niño-like conditions in western North America during the warm Pliocene. If the earth behaves similarly with future warming, this observation has important implications with regard to the amount and distribution of precipitation in western North America.

Description: Reconstructions of Quaternary climate are often based on the isotopic content of paleo-precipitation preserved in proxy records. While many paleo-precipitation isotope records are available, few studies have synthesized these dispersed records to explore spatial patterns of late-glacial precipitation δ18O. Here we present a synthesis of 86 globally distributed groundwater (n = 59), cave calcite (n = 15) and ice core (n = 12) isotope records spanning the late-glacial (defined as ~ 50 000 to ~ 20 000 years ago) to the late-Holocene (within the past ~ 5000 years). We show that precipitation δ18O changes from the late-glacial to the late-Holocene range from −7.1 ‰ (δ18Olate-Holocene 〉 δ18Olate-glacial) to +1.7 ‰ (δ18Olate-glacial 〉 δ18Olate-Holocene), with the majority (77 %) of records having lower late-glacial δ18O than late-Holocene δ18O values. High-magnitude, negative precipitation δ18O shifts are common at high latitudes, high altitudes and continental interiors (δ18Olate-Holocene 〉 δ18Olate-glacial by more than 3 ‰). Conversely, low-magnitude, positive precipitation δ18O shifts are concentrated along tropical and subtropical coasts (δ18Olate-glacial 〉 δ18Olate-Holocene by less than 2 ‰). Broad, global patterns of late-glacial to late-Holocene precipitation δ18O shifts suggest that stronger-than-modern isotopic distillation of air masses prevailed during the late-glacial, likely impacted by larger global temperature differences between the tropics and the poles. Further, to test how well general circulation models reproduce global precipitation δ18O shifts, we compiled simulated precipitation δ18O shifts from five isotope-enabled general circulation models simulated under recent and last glacial maximum climate states. Climate simulations generally show better inter-model and model-measurement agreement in temperate regions than in the tropics, highlighting a need for further research to better understand how inter-model spread in convective rainout, seawater δ18O and glacial topography parameterizations impact simulated precipitation δ18O. Future research on paleo-precipitation δ18O records can use the global maps of measured and simulated late-glacial precipitation isotope compositions to target and prioritize field sites.

Description: Understanding how the hydrologic cycle has responded to warmer global temperatures in the past is especially important today as concentrations of CO2 in the atmosphere continue to increase due to human activities. The Pliocene offers an ideal window into a climate system that has equilibrated with current atmospheric pCO2. During the Pliocene the Western United States was wetter than modern, an observation at odds with our current understanding of future warming scenarios, which involve the expansion and poleward migration of the subtropical dry zone. Here we compare Pliocene oxygen isotope profiles of pedogenic carbonates across the Western US to modern isotopic anomalies in precipitation between phases of the El Niño Southern Oscillation (ENSO). We find that when accounting for seasonality of carbonate formation, isotopic changes through the late Pliocene match modern precipitation isotopic anomalies in El Niño years. Furthermore, isotopic shifts through the late Pliocene mirror changes through the early Pleistocene, which likely represents the southward migration of the westerly storm track caused by growth of the Laurentide Ice Sheet. We propose that the westerly storm track migrated northward through the late Pliocene with the development of the modern Cold Tongue in the East Equatorial Pacific, then returned southward with widespread glaciation in the Northern Hemisphere – a scenario supported by terrestrial climate proxies across the US. Together these data support the proposed existence of background El Niño-like conditions in Western North America during the warm Pliocene. If the Earth behaves similarly with future warming, this observation has important implications with regard to the amount and distribution of precipitation in Western North America.

Description: Previous analyses of past climate changes have often been based on site-specific isotope records from speleothems, ice cores, sediments and groundwaters. However, in most studies these dispersed records have not been integrated and synthesized in a comprehensive manner to explore the spatial patterns of precipitation isotope changes from the last ice age to more recent times. Here we synthesize 88 globally-distributed groundwater, cave calcite, and ice core isotope records spanning the last ice age to the late-Holocene. Our data-driven review shows that reconstructed precipitation δ18O changes from the last ice age to the late-Holocene range from −7.1‰ (ice age δ18O 〈 late-Holocene δ18O) to +1.8‰ (ice age δ18O 〉 late-Holocene δ18O) with wide regional variability. The majority (75%) of reconstructions have lower ice age δ18O values than late-Holocene δ18O values. High-magnitude, negative glacial–interglacial precipitation δ18O shifts (ice age δ18O 〈 late-Holocene δ18O by more than 3‰) are common at high latitudes, high altitudes and continental interiors. Conversely, lower-magnitude, positive glacial–interglacial precipitation δ18O shifts (ice age δ18O 〉 late-Holocene δ18O by less than 2‰) are most common along subtropical coasts. Broad, global patterns of glacial–interglacial precipitation δ18O shifts are consistent with stronger-than-modern isotopic distillation of air masses during the last ice age, likely impacted by larger global temperature differences between the tropics and the poles. Further, to complement our synthesis of proxy-record precipitation δ18O, we compiled isotope enabled general circulation model simulations of recent and last glacial maximum climate states. Simulated precipitation δ18O from five general circulation models show better inter-model and model-observation agreement in the sign of δ18O changes from the last ice age to present day in temperate and polar regions than in the tropics. Further model precipitation δ18O research is needed to better understand impacts of inter-model spread in simulated precipitation fluxes and parameterizations of convective rainout, seawater δ18O and glacial topography on simulated precipitation δ18O. Future paleo-precipitation proxy record δ18O research can use new global maps of glacial δ18O reconstructions to target and prioritize regional investigations of past climate states.

Description: This study investigates how warming and changes in precipitation may affect the cycling of carbon (C) in tundra soils, and between high arctic tundra and the atmosphere. We quantified ecosystem respiration (Reco) and soil pore space CO2 in a polar semi-desert under current and future climate conditions simulated by long-term experimental warming (+2 °C, +4 °C), water addition (+50% summer precipitation) and a combination of both (+4 °C × +50% summer precipitation). We also measured the 14C content of Reco and soil CO2 to distinguish young C cycling rapidly between the atmosphere and the ecosystem from older C stored in the soil for centuries to millennia. We identified changes in the amount and timing of precipitation as a key control of the magnitude, seasonality and sources of Reco in a polar semi-desert. Throughout each summer, small (4 mm), more winter snow and experimental irrigation were associated with higher Reco fluxes and the release of recently-fixed (young) plant C. Warmer summers and experimental warming also resulted in higher Reco fluxes (+2 °C 〉 +4 °C), but coincided with losses of older C. We conclude that in high arctic dry tundra systems, future magnitudes and patterns of old C emissions will be controlled as much by the summer precipitation regime and winter snowpack as by warming. The release of older soil C is of concern as it may lead to net C losses from the ecosystem. Therefore, reliable predictions of precipitation amounts, frequency, and timing are required to predict the changing C cycle in the High Arctic.

Description: Stable isotope analysis is a powerful tool for assessing plant carbon and water relations and their impact on biogeochemical processes at different scales. Our process-based understanding of stable isotope signals, as well as technological developments, has progressed significantly, opening new frontiers in ecological and interdisciplinary research. This has promoted the broad utilisation of carbon, oxygen and hydrogen isotope applications to gain insight into plant carbon and water cycling and their interaction with the atmosphere and pedosphere. Here, we highlight specific areas of recent progress and new research challenges in plant carbon and water relations, using selected examples covering scales from the leaf to the regional scale. Further, we discuss strengths and limitations of recent technological developments and approaches and highlight new opportunities arising from unprecedented temporal and spatial resolution of stable isotope measurements.

Description: This study investigates how warming and changes in precipitation may affect the cycling of carbon (C) in tundra soils, and between high Arctic tundra and the atmosphere. We quantified ecosystem respiration (Reco) and soil pore space CO2 in a polar semi-desert in northwestern Greenland under current and future climate conditions simulated by long-term experimental warming (+2 °C, +4 °C), water addition (+50% summer precipitation), and a combination of both (+4 °C × +50% summer precipitation). We also measured the 14C content of Reco and soil CO2 to distinguish young C cycling rapidly between the atmosphere and the ecosystem from older C stored in the soil for centuries to millennia. We identified changes in the amount and timing of precipitation as a key control of the magnitude, seasonality and sources of Reco in a polar semi-desert. Throughout each summer, small (4 mm), more winter snow and experimental irrigation were associated with higher Reco fluxes and the release of recently fixed (young) C. Warmer summers and experimental warming also resulted in higher Reco fluxes (+2 °C 〉 +4 °C), but coincided with losses of older C. We conclude that in high Arctic, dry tundra systems, future magnitudes and patterns of old C emissions will be controlled as much by the summer precipitation regime and winter snowpack as by warming. The release of older soil C is of concern, as it may lead to net C losses from the ecosystem. Therefore, reliable predictions of precipitation amounts, frequency, and timing are required to predict the changing C cycle in the high Arctic.

Description: The EOS (Earth Observing System) Aura Tropospheric Emission Spectrometer (TES) retrieves the atmospheric HDO / H2O ratio in the mid-to-lower troposphere as well as the planetary boundary layer. TES observations of water vapor and the HDO isotopologue have been compared with nearly coincident in situ airborne measurements for direct validation of the TES products. The field measurements were made with a commercially available Picarro L1115-i isotopic water analyzer on aircraft over the Alaskan interior boreal forest during the three summers of 2011 to 2013. TES special observations were utilized in these comparisons. The TES averaging kernels and a priori constraints have been applied to the in situ data, using version 5 (V005) of the TES data. TES calculated errors are compared with the standard deviation (1σ) of scan-to-scan variability to check consistency with the TES observation error. Spatial and temporal variations are assessed from the in situ aircraft measurements. It is found that the standard deviation of scan-to-scan variability of TES δD is ±34.1‰ in the boundary layer and ± 26.5‰ in the free troposphere. This scan-to-scan variability is consistent with the TES estimated error (observation error) of 10–18‰ after accounting for the atmospheric variations along the TES track of ±16‰ in the boundary layer, increasing to ±30‰ in the free troposphere observed by the aircraft in situ measurements. We estimate that TES V005 δD is biased high by an amount that decreases with pressure: approximately +123‰ at 1000 hPa, +98‰ in the boundary layer and +37‰ in the free troposphere. The uncertainty in this bias estimate is ±20‰. A correction for this bias has been applied to the TES HDO Lite Product data set. After bias correction, we show that TES has accurate sensitivity to water vapor isotopologues in the boundary layer.

Description: The EOS Aura Tropospheric Emission Spectrometer (TES) retrieves the atmospheric HDO/H2O ratio in the mid-to-lower troposphere as well as the planetary boundary layer. TES observations of water vapor and the HDO isotopologue have been compared with nearly coincident in situ airborne measurements for direct validation of the TES products. The field measurements were made with a commercially available Picarro L1115-i isotopic water analyzer on aircraft over the Alaskan interior boreal forest during the three summers of 2011 to 2013. TES special observations were utilized in these comparisons. The TES averaging kernels and a priori constraints have been applied to the in situ data, using Version Five (V005) of the TES data. TES calculated errors are compared with the standard deviation (1-σ) of scan-to-scan variability to check consistency with the TES observation error. Spatial and temporal variations are assessed from the in situ aircraft measurements. It is found that the standard deviation of scan-to-scan variability of TES δD is ±34.1‰ in the boundary layer, and ±26.5‰ in the free troposphere. This scan-to-scan variability is consistent with the TES estimated error (observation error) of 10–18‰ after accounting for the atmospheric variations along the TES track of ±16‰ in the boundary layer, increasing to ±30‰ in the free troposphere observed by the aircraft in situ measurements. We estimate that TES V005 δD is biased high by an amount that decreases with pressure: approximately +12.3% at 1000 hPa, +9.8% in the boundary layer, and +3.7% in the free troposphere. The uncertainty in this bias estimate is ±2%. After bias correction, we show that TES has accurate sensitivity to water vapor isotopologues in the boundary layer.