Permafrost Organic Carbon Mobilization From the Watershed to the Colville River Delta: Evidence From ¹⁴C Ramped Pyrolysis and Lignin Biomarkers

Authors

Xiaowen Zhang, University of Florida
Thomas S. Bianchi, University of Florida
Xingqian Cui, University of Florida
Brad E. Rosenheim, University of South FloridaFollow
Chien-Lu Ping, University of Alaska Fairbanks
Andrea J. M. Hanna, University of Texas at Austin
Mikhail Kanevskiy, University of Alaska Fairbanks
Kathryn M. Schreiner, University of Minnesota
Mead A. Allison, The Water Institute of the Gulf

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

2017

Keywords

Arctic, permafrost, pyrolysis, lignin, Colville River, carbon cycling

Digital Object Identifier (DOI)

https://doi.org/10.1002/2017GL075543

Abstract

The deposition of terrestrial-derived permafrost particulate organic carbon (POC) has been recorded in major Arctic river deltas. However, associated transport pathways of permafrost POC from the watershed to the coast have not been well constrained. Here we utilized a combination of ramped pyrolysis-oxidation radiocarbon analysis (RPO ¹⁴C) along with lignin biomarkers, to track the linkages between soils and river and delta sediments. Surface and deep soils showed distinct RPO thermographs which may be related to degradation and organo-mineral interaction. Soil material in the bed load of the river channel was mostly derived from deep old permafrost. Both surface and deep soils were transported and deposited to the coast. Hydrodynamic sorting and barrier island protection played important roles in terrestrial-derived permafrost POC deposition near the coast. On a large scale, ice processes (e.g., ice gauging and strudel scour) and ocean currents controlled the transport and distribution of permafrost POC on the Beaufort Shelf.

Rights Information

Terms of use for work posted in Scholar Commons.

Was this content written or created while at USF?

Yes

Citation / Publisher Attribution

Geophysical Research Letters, v. 44, issue 22, p. 11491-11500

©2017. American Geophysical Union. All Rights Reserved.

Scholar Commons Citation

Zhang, Xiaowen; Bianchi, Thomas S.; Cui, Xingqian; Rosenheim, Brad E.; Ping, Chien-Lu; Hanna, Andrea J. M.; Kanevskiy, Mikhail; Schreiner, Kathryn M.; and Allison, Mead A., "Permafrost Organic Carbon Mobilization From the Watershed to the Colville River Delta: Evidence From ¹⁴C Ramped Pyrolysis and Lignin Biomarkers" (2017). Marine Science Faculty Publications. 2428.
https://digitalcommons.usf.edu/msc_facpub/2428