Geochemical, sedimentological and microbial diversity in two thermokarst lakes of far Eastern Siberia

Thermokarst lakes are important conduits for organic carbon sequestration, soil organic matter (soil-OM) decomposition and release of atmospheric greenhouse gases in the Arctic. They can be classified as either floating-ice lakes, which sustain a zone of unfrozen sediment (talik) at the lakebed year-round, or as bedfast-ice lakes, which freeze all the way to the lakebed in winter. Another key characteristic of thermokarst lakes are their eroding shorelines, depending on the surrounding landscape, they can play a major role in supplying the lakebeds with sediment and OM. These differences in winter ice regime and eroding shorelines are key factors which determine the quantity and quality of OM in thermokarst lake sediments. We used an array of physical, geochemical, and microbiological tools to identify the differences in the environmental conditions, sedimentary characteristics, carbon stocks and microbial community compositions in the sediments of a bedfast-ice and a floating-ice lake in Far East Siberia with different eroding shorelines. Our data show strong differences across most of the measured parameters between the two lakes. For example, the floating-ice lake contains considerably lower amounts of sediment organic matter and dissolved organic carbon, both of which also appear to be more degraded in comparison to the bedfast-ice lake, based on their stable carbon isotope composition (δ13C). We also document clear differences in the microbial community composition, for both archaea and bacteria. We identified the lake water depth (bedfast-ice vs. floating-ice) and shoreline erosion to be the two most likely main drivers of the sedimentary, microbial and biogeochemical diversity in thermokarst lakes. With ongoing climate warming, it is likely that an increasing number of lakes will shift from a bedfast- to a floating-ice state, and that increasing levels of shoreline erosion will supply the lakes with sediments. Yet, still little is known about the physical, biogeochemical and microbial differences in the sediments of these lake types and how different eroding shorelines impact these lake system

Shrub decline and expansion of wetland vegetation revealed by very high resolution land cover change detection in the Siberian lowland tundra

Vegetation change, permafrost degradation and their interactions affect greenhouse gas fluxes, hydrology and surface energy balance in Arctic ecosystems. The Arctic shows an overall “greening” trend (i.e. increased plant biomass and productivity) attributed to expansion of shrub vegetation. However, Arctic shrub dynamics show strong spatial variability and locally “browning” may be observed. Mechanistic understanding of greening and browning trends is necessary to accurately assess the response of Arctic vegetation to a changing climate. In this context, the Siberian Arctic is an understudied region. Between 2010 and 2019, increased browning (as derived from the MODIS Enhanced Vegetation Index) was observed in the Eastern Siberian Indigirka Lowlands. To support interpretation of local greening and browning dynamics, we quantified changes in land cover and transition probabilities in a representative tundra site in the Indigirka Lowlands using a timeseries of three very high resolution (VHR) (0.5 m) satellite images acquired between 2010 and 2019. Using spatiotemporal Potts model regularization, we substantially reduced classification errors related to optical and phenological inconsistencies in the image material. VHR images show that recent browning was associated with declines in shrub, lichen and tussock vegetation and increases in open water, sedge and especially Sphagnum vegetation. Observed formation and expansion of small open water bodies in shrub dominated vegetation suggests abrupt thaw of ice-rich permafrost. Transitions from open water to sedge and Sphagnum, indicate aquatic succession upon disturbance. The overall shift towards open water and wetland vegetation suggests a wetting trend, likely associated with permafrost degradation. Landsat data confirmed widespread expansion of surface water throughout the Indigirka Lowlands. However, the increase in the area of small water bodies observed in VHR data was not visible in Landsat-derived surface water data, which suggests that VHR data is essential for early detection of small-scale disturbances and associated vegetation change in permafrost ecosystems.</p

Geochemical, sedimentological and microbial diversity in two thermokarst lakes of far Eastern Siberia

Thermokarst lakes are important conduits for organic carbon sequestration, soil organic matter (soil-OM) decomposition and release of atmospheric greenhouse gases in the Arctic. They can be classified as either floating-ice lakes, which sustain a zone of unfrozen sediment (talik) at the lakebed year-round, or as bedfast-ice lakes, which freeze all the way to the lakebed in winter. Another key characteristic of thermokarst lakes are their eroding shorelines, depending on the surrounding landscape, they can play a major role in supplying the lakebeds with sediment and OM. These differences in winter ice regime and eroding shorelines are key factors which determine the quantity and quality of OM in thermokarst lake sediments. We used an array of physical, geochemical, and microbiological tools to identify the differences in the environmental conditions, sedimentary characteristics, carbon stocks and microbial community compositions in the sediments of a bedfast-ice and a floating-ice lake in Far East Siberia with different eroding shorelines. Our data show strong differences across most of the measured parameters between the two lakes. For example, the floating-ice lake contains considerably lower amounts of sediment organic matter and dissolved organic carbon, both of which also appear to be more degraded in comparison to the bedfast-ice lake, based on their stable carbon isotope composition (δ13C). We also document clear differences in the microbial community composition, for both archaea and bacteria. We identified the lake water depth (bedfast-ice vs. floating-ice) and shoreline erosion to be the two most likely main drivers of the sedimentary, microbial and biogeochemical diversity in thermokarst lakes. With ongoing climate warming, it is likely that an increasing number of lakes will shift from a bedfast- to a floating-ice state, and that increasing levels of shoreline erosion will supply the lakes with sediments. Yet, still little is known about the physical, biogeochemical and microbial differences in the sediments of these lake types and how different eroding shorelines impact these lake systems

Dataset for: "Shrub decline and expansion of wetland vegetation revealed by very high resolution land cover change detection in the Siberian lowland tundra"

Input materials, scripts and results for: - Trend analyses in MODIS Enhanced Vegetation Index for 2000-2019 in the Indigirka Lowlands, Sakha Republic, Russian federation. - Land Cover Change Detection of Vegetation Functional Groups in an Arcitc tundra site using very high resolution (0.5) satellite images in a focus area in the Kytalyk Reserve, Indigirka Lowlands over the period 2010-2019

Dataset for: "Shrub decline and expansion of wetland vegetation revealed by very high resolution land cover change detection in the Siberian lowland tundra"

Input materials, scripts and results for: - Trend analyses in MODIS Enhanced Vegetation Index for 2000-2019 in the Indigirka Lowlands, Sakha Republic, Russian federation. - Land Cover Change Detection of Vegetation Functional Groups in an Arcitc tundra site using very high resolution (0.5) satellite images in a focus area in the Kytalyk Reserve, Indigirka Lowlands over the period 2010-2019

Dataset for: "Shrub decline and expansion of wetland vegetation revealed by very high resolution land cover change detection in the Siberian lowland tundra"

Input materials, scripts and results for: - Trend analyses in MODIS Enhanced Vegetation Index for 2000-2019 in the Indigirka Lowlands, Sakha Republic, Russian federation. - Land Cover Change Detection of Vegetation Functional Groups in an Arcitc tundra site using very high resolution (0.5) satellite images in a focus area in the Kytalyk Reserve, Indigirka Lowlands over the period 2010-2019

Thermokarst-pond plant community characteristics and effects on icewedge degradation in the Prudhoe Bay region, Alaska

Thesis (M.S.) University of Alaska Fairbanks, 2022Ice-wedge thermokarst ponds are forming in many areas of the Arctic as a result of climate warming and infrastructure development. Previous research suggests that development of aquatic vegetation within these ponds may create negative feedbacks to the process of ice-wedge degradation by reducing pond-bottom temperatures and thaw depths. The objectives of this research were to characterize thermokarst-pond plant communities and to evaluate the effects of vegetation on within-pond sediment temperatures and thaw depths. Aquatic vegetation was sampled in 39 plots within 29 thermokarst ponds in the Prudhoe Bay region of Alaska. Five floristically distinct plant communities were identified: Calliergon richardsonii comm., Scorpidium scorpioides comm., Pseudocalliergon turgescens comm., Hippuris vulgaris comm., and Ranunculus gmelinii comm. These communities had low species diversity (mean species richness 3.2 ± 1.5 SD) and were best differentiated by the single dominant species included in plant-community names. Ordination of species composition data revealed a temperature gradient, along which high biomass was associated with low sediment temperature and shallow thaw depth. The C. richardsonii and P. turgescens moss-dominated communities had very high biomass values (3079 g/m² ± 1895 SD and 3135 g/m² ± 585 SD, respectively). Examinations of temperature and thaw differences between communities were limited by sample size, as several communities were described based on only two plots each. To evaluate the potential insulative role of pond vegetation on pond-bottom temperature and thaw depth, differences between broad vegetation types (i.e., moss, forb, sparse) rather than communities were examined. Vegetation cover, total biomass, biomass of plant functional types, and soil organic horizon thickness were sampled, along with mean thaw depth and sediment temperature. Linear mixed-effects models were used to identify vegetation-related parameters with the highest predictive power of thaw and temperature. Mean sediment temperatures measured during 19 July - 23 August 2021 were warmest in the sparse plots (8.9 °C ± 0.2 SE) compared to the forb plots (8.2 °C ± 0.3 SE) and the moss plots (6.7 °C ± 0.4 SE). Moss plots also had shallower late-August thaw depths (42.5 cm ± 1.3 SE) compared to forb (52.7 cm ± 1.7 SE) and sparse (52.7 cm ± 1.4 SE) plots. Vegetation cover was negatively correlated with sediment temperature, whereas vegetation cover, moss thickness, and organic layer thickness were all negatively correlated with thaw depth. The stronger relationships observed between vegetation-related factors and thaw depth compared to sediment temperature were probably affected by the short period of temperature observations within this study. Although stochastic factors likely play a role in community establishment within thermokarst ponds, additional sampling is needed across all pond ages, ice-wedge degradation/stabilization stages, and a broader range of habitats within ponds to discern if there is a clear successional trajectory for thermokarst-pond plant communities. This study provided descriptions of relatively understudied aquatic plant communities that play an important role in Arctic landscape change. Notably, very high biomass values were found in young ponds (one with an age of only 8 years) dominated by moss communities. Results indicate that aquatic plant communities with high moss biomass have high capacity for insulation that potentially reduces permafrost thaw and ice-wedge degradation, leading to ice-wedge stabilization.National Science Foundation (NNA-IRPS, NSF Award # 1928237