Permafrost thawing in high-Arctic causing increased organic carbon and dissolved nitrogen export to sea
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Project details
The overall aim of this project is to determine how climate-induced permafrost thaw and thermokarst activity will influence organic carbon (OC) and nitrogen (N) processing in high-Arctic streams and to estimate export rate of terrestrial OC and N to the sea under current and future climate.
We will set our studies in two high-Arctic areas (Zackenberg and at Arctic Station Disko Island) in order to extend our research findings into a broader high-Arctic setting. We aim to 1) quantify OC and N run-off from areas affected by thermo-karst and permafrost thaw using SUNA nitrate sensors for real-time nitrate measurements in streams; and 2) estimate reach scale denitrification using N2 gas measurements made with a MIMS instrument located at Notre Dame. The results will feed directly into sea export models predicting changes under climate change scenarios.
Skovsholt, L.J, Pastor, A., Docherty, C.L., Milner, A.M., Riis, T. (2020) Changes in hydrology affects stream nutrient uptake and primary production in a high-Arctic stream. Biogeochemistry (IF 3.7), accepted
Pastor, A., Wu, N., Skovsholt, L.S., Riis, T. (2020) Biofilm growth in two streams draining mountainous permafrost catchments in NE Greenland. Journal of Geophysical Research – Biogeosciences, 125(3), e2019JG005557; (IF 3.5)
Pastor, A., Poblador, S., Skovsholt, L.J., Riis, T. (2020) Microbial carbon and nitrogen processes in high-Arctic riparian soils. Permafrost and Periglacial Processes, 31, 223-236 (IF 3.0)
Pastor, A.O., Freixa, A., Skovsholt, L.J., Wu, N., Romani, A.M., Riis, T. (2019) Microbial organic matter utilization in High-Arctic streams: key enzymatic controls. Microbial Ecology, 78(3), 539-554 (IF 3.6).
