Increased Arctic NO3− Availability as a Hydrogeomorphic Consequence of Permafrost Degradation and Landscape Drying

Arendt, Carli A.; Heikoop, Jeffrey M.; Newman, Brent D.; Wilson, Cathy J.; Wainwright, Haruko; Kumar, Jitendra; Andersen, Christian G.; Wales, Nathan A.; Dafflon, Baptiste; Cherry, Jessica; Wullschleger, Stan D.

doi:10.3390/nitrogen3020021

i

Increased Arctic NO3− Availability as a Hydrogeomorphic Consequence of Permafrost Degradation and Landscape Drying

2022
By Arendt, Carli A. ; Heikoop, Jeffrey M. ; Newman, Brent D. ; ...

Details

Journal Title:

Nitrogen
Personal Author:

Arendt, Carli A. ; Heikoop, Jeffrey M. ; Newman, Brent D. ; Wilson, Cathy J. ; Wainwright, Haruko ; Kumar, Jitendra ; Andersen, Christian G. ; Wales, Nathan A. ; Dafflon, Baptiste ; Cherry, Jessica ; Wullschleger, Stan D.
NOAA Program & Office:

NESDIS (National Environmental Satellite, Data, and Information Service) ; NCEI (National Centers for Environmental Information)
Description:

Climate-driven permafrost thaw alters the strongly coupled carbon and nitrogen cycles within the Arctic tundra, influencing the availability of limiting nutrients including nitrate (NO3−). Researchers have identified two primary mechanisms that increase nitrogen and NO3− availability within permafrost soils: (1) the ‘frozen feast’, where previously frozen organic material becomes available as it thaws, and (2) ‘shrubification’, where expansion of nitrogen-fixing shrubs promotes increased soil nitrogen. Through the synthesis of original and previously published observational data, and the application of multiple geospatial approaches, this study investigates and highlights a third mechanism that increases NO3− availability: the hydrogeomorphic evolution of polygonal permafrost landscapes. Permafrost thaw drives changes in microtopography, increasing the drainage of topographic highs, thus increasing oxic conditions that promote NO3− production and accumulation. We extrapolate relationships between NO3− and soil moisture in elevated topographic features within our study area and the broader Alaskan Coastal Plain and investigate potential changes in NO3− availability in response to possible hydrogeomorphic evolution scenarios of permafrost landscapes. These approximations indicate that such changes could increase Arctic tundra NO3− availability by ~250–1000%. Thus, hydrogeomorphic changes that accompany continued permafrost degradation in polygonal permafrost landscapes will substantially increase soil pore water NO3− availability and boost future fertilization and productivity in the Arctic.
Keywords:

Climatic Changes Nitrates Permafrost Climatic Changes Arctic Climate Change Drying General Engineering Geomorphic Evolution Geospatial Scaling Of Nutrient Inventories Nitrate Nutrient Availability Polygonal Permafrost Soil Moisture
Source:

Nitrogen, 3(2), 314-332
DOI:

https://doi.org/10.3390/nitrogen3020021
ISSN:

2504-3129
Format:

PDF
Publisher:

MDPI AG
Document Type:

Journal Article
License:

https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
Rights Information:

CC BY
Compliance:

Submitted
Main Document Checksum:

urn:sha-512:654806b22249564eb473600fc243965577acac3597bc30324cab60f1b05552fff3963e0689a2e3074ea4b3a6252c0801421691738a3548c3b1a7b4e0520678f8
Download URL:

https://repository.library.noaa.gov/view/noaa/48928/noaa_48928_DS1.pdf
File Type:

[PDF - 2.66 MB ]

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