RUI: Effect of Climate Change on Carbon Cycling within the Discontinuous Permafrost Zone of Canada

Christopher Newport University, Newport News VA

Investigators

Abstract

Abstract 00-89635 Whiting RUI: Effect of climate change on carbon cycling within the discontinuous permafrost zone of Canada Over most of the Earth's land surface, the quantity of carbon sequestered in soil organic matter is greater by a factor of two or three than the amount stored in living vegetation. The quantity of organic matter in soil plays a critical role in the earth's geochemical carbon cycle. High-latitude peatlands represent only about 11% of the global land surface area, yet contain an estimated 25 to 30% of the world's total soil carbon pool. Much of this carbon is stored in the frozen peat soils within the permafrost layer. The goal of this research is to determine the effect of a changing climate on carbon cycling in Alberta, Canada. Recent evidence indicates that permafrost is degrading in response to elevated temperatures and changing moisture input. As the permafrost melts, the peat surface subsides to the level of the water table and becomes saturated. Early results suggest that these melt areas produce 100-200x greater methane emission than the nearby unmelted bog. Dr. Whiting and students and collaborators plan to study these melt features to determine the origin of the carbon in the methane (ancient vs. new) and to find out if the age of the melt feature affects methane emissions.