Thermohydrological Impact of Forest Disturbances on Ecosystem‐Protected Permafrost

Boreal forests cover over half of the global permafrost area and protect underlying permafrost. Boreal forest development, therefore, has an impact on permafrost evolution, especially under a warming climate. Forest disturbances and changing climate conditions cause vegetation shifts and potentially destabilize the carbon stored within the vegetation and permafrost. Disturbed permafrost-forest ecosystems can develop into a dry or swampy bush- or grasslands, shift toward broadleaf- or evergreen needleleaf-dominated forests, or recover to the pre-disturbance state. An increase in the number and intensity of fires, as well as intensified logging activities, could lead to a partial or complete ecosystem and permafrost degradation. We study the impact of forest disturbances (logging, surface, and canopy fires) on the thermal and hydrological permafrost conditions and ecosystem resilience. We use a dynamic multilayer canopy-permafrost model to simulate different scenarios at a study site in eastern Siberia. We implement expected mortality, defoliation, and ground surface changes and analyze the interplay between forest recovery and permafrost. We find that forest loss induces soil drying of up to 44%, leading to lower active layer thicknesses and abrupt or steady decline of a larch forest, depending on disturbance intensity. Only after surface fires, the most common disturbances, inducing low mortality rates, forests can recover and overpass pre-disturbance leaf area index values. We find that the trajectory of larch forests after surface fires is dependent on the precipitation conditions in the years after the disturbance. Dryer years can drastically change the direction of the larch forest development within the studied period

Energy and Water Exchange Processes in Boreal Permafrost Ecosystems

Boreale Wälder in Permafrostregionen sind ein wesentlicher Bestandteil regionaler und globaler Klimamuster und machen etwa ein Drittel der weltweiten Waldfläche aus. Die Entwicklung der Waldbedeckung hat einen wichtigen Einfluss auf den Permafrost, da dieser durch die Vegetation geschützt wird. Der direkte Einfluss des Klimawandels auf die Wälder und der indirekte Effekt durch eine Veränderung der Permafrostdynamik können zu weitreichenden Ökosystemverschiebungen führen, die wiederum die Persistenz des Permafrosts beeinträchtigen und wichtige Ökosystemfunktionen destabilisieren könnten. Ziel dieser Dissertation ist es zu verstehen, wie sich die komplexen Wechselwirkungen zwischen der Vegetation, dem Permafrost und der Atmosphäre auf die Wälder und den darunterliegenden Permafrost auswirken. Im Rahmen dieser Dissertation habe ich ein eindimensionales, numerisches Landoberflächenmodell (CryoGrid), das zur Simulation der physikalischen Prozesse in Permafrostgebieten verwendet werden kann, für die Anwendung in bewaldetem Gebieten angepasst. Dazu habe ich ein detailliertes, mehrschichtiges Kronendachmodell (CLM-ml v0) und ein dynamisches Lärchenbestandsmodell gekoppelt. Dies ermöglichte den Energietransfer und das Wärmeregime welche für die komplexe Wald-Permafrost-Dynamik verantwortlich sind an verschiedenen Untersuchungsstandorten in gemischten und lärchendominierten Wäldern in Ostsibirien zu reproduzieren. Die numerischen Simulationen ergaben, dass die Wälder den thermischen und hydrologischen Zustand des Permafrosts hauptsächlich durch die Veränderung der Strahlungsbilanz und der Phänologie der Schneedecke beeinflussen und so eine stabilisierende Wirkung haben. Die Untersuchung der unterschiedlichen isolierenden Wirkung verschiedener Waldtypen und Walddichten sowie die Rückkopplungsmechanismen nach Störungen zeigen Veränderungen der thermischen und hydrologischen Bedingungen und der Tiefe der Auftauschicht. Zusammenfassend legen die Ergebnisse nahe, dass lokale, detaillierte und spezifische Landoberflächenmodelle erforderlich sind, um die komplexe Dynamik in borealen Permafrostökosystemen vollständig zu erfassen. Veränderungen der Rückkopplungen zwischen Permafrost, Klima, Wald und Störungen werden die eng gekoppelten Ökosystemfunktionen destabilisieren. Die induzierten Bodenveränderungen werden sich auf wichtige Wald- und Permafrostfunktionen, wie beispielsweise die Isolation des Permafrostbodens oder die Kohlenstoffspeicherung, und Rückkopplungsmechanismen wie Überschwemmung, Dürren, Brände, und Waldverlust, auswirken.Boreal forests in permafrost regions make up around one-third of the global forest cover and are an essential component of regional and global climate patterns. The forests efficiently protect the underlying permafrost but the exact processes are not well understood. The direct influence of climatic change on forests and the indirect effect through a change in permafrost dynamics can lead to extensive ecosystem shifts, which will, in turn, affect permafrost persistence and potentially destabilize various ecosystem functions. The aim of this dissertation is to understand how complex interactions between the vegetation, permafrost, and the atmosphere stabilize the forests and the underlying permafrost. Within this dissertation, I have adapted a one-dimensional, numerical land surface model (CryoGrid), which can be used to simulate the physical processes in permafrost regions, for the application in vegetated areas by coupling a detailed multilayer canopy model (CLM-ml v0), and a dynamic larch stand model. An intensive validation of the model setup has allowed for the precise quantification of the heat- and water transfer processes responsible for the complex permafrost dynamics under boreal forest covers. At a variety of study sites throughout eastern Siberia, the numerical simulations revealed that the forests exert a strong control on the thermal and hydrological state of permafrost through changing the radiation balance and snow cover phenology. The forest cover has a net stabilizing effect on the permafrost ground below. The detailed physical model has furthermore enabled me to study the variation in insulation effect between different forest types and densities as well as the feedback mechanisms occurring after disturbances. In summary, the results suggest that local, detailed, and specific land surface models are required to fully comprehend the complex dynamics in boreal permafrost ecosystems. The research revealed that the feedbacks between permafrost, climate, boreal forest, and disturbances will destabilize tightly coupled ecosystem functions. The induced changes will affect key forest and permafrost functions, such as the forest's insulation capacity or the carbon budget, as well as feedback mechanisms like swamping, droughts, fires, or forest loss

Soilsurface temperatures in 2 cm depth between summer 2018 and 2019 with iButton-sensor 128 in Churchill, Canada

Soil surface temperatures were collected with help of iButtons along different transects and clusters around Churchill (Canada). The interval was set to 4 hours resp. 4.25 hours. Different models of iButtons were used (with a resolution of 0.0625 °C and 0.5°C resp.), see Comment

Soilsurface temperatures in 2 cm depth between summer 2018 and 2019 with iButton-sensor 267 in the North Slope of Alaska, USA

Soil surface temperatures were collected with help of iButtons along different transects and clusters in the North Slope of Alaska. The interval was set to 4 hours resp. 4.25 hours. Different models of iButtons were used (with a resolution of 0.0625 °C and 0.5°C resp.), see Comment

Soilsurface temperatures in 2 cm depth between summer 2018 and 2019 with iButton-sensor 288 in the North Slope of Alaska, USA

Soil surface temperatures were collected with help of iButtons along different transects and clusters in the North Slope of Alaska. The interval was set to 4 hours resp. 4.25 hours. Different models of iButtons were used (with a resolution of 0.0625 °C and 0.5°C resp.), see Comment

Soilsurface temperatures in 2 cm depth between summer 2018 and 2019 with iButton-sensor 159 in Churchill, Canada

Soil surface temperatures were collected with help of iButtons along different transects and clusters around Churchill (Canada). The interval was set to 4 hours resp. 4.25 hours. Different models of iButtons were used (with a resolution of 0.0625 °C and 0.5°C resp.), see Comment

Soilsurface temperatures in 2 cm depth between summer 2018 and 2019 with iButton-sensor 183 in the North Slope of Alaska, USA

Soil surface temperatures were collected with help of iButtons along different transects and clusters in the North Slope of Alaska. The interval was set to 4 hours resp. 4.25 hours. Different models of iButtons were used (with a resolution of 0.0625 °C and 0.5°C resp.), see Comment