Organic matter composition and greenhouse gas production of thawing subsea permafrost in the Laptev Sea

Birgit Wild (), Natalia Shakhova, Oleg Dudarev, Alexey Ruban, Denis Kosmach, Vladimir Tumskoy, Tommaso Tesi, Hanna Grimm, Inna Nybom, Felipe Matsubara, Helena Alexanderson, Martin Jakobsson, Alexey Mazurov, Igor Semiletov and Örjan Gustafsson ()
Additional contact information
Birgit Wild: Stockholm University
Natalia Shakhova: Far-East Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences
Oleg Dudarev: Far-East Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences
Alexey Ruban: Tomsk State University
Denis Kosmach: Far-East Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences
Vladimir Tumskoy: Tomsk State University
Tommaso Tesi: National Research Council
Hanna Grimm: Stockholm University
Inna Nybom: Stockholm University
Felipe Matsubara: Stockholm University
Helena Alexanderson: Lund University
Martin Jakobsson: Stockholm University
Alexey Mazurov: Tomsk Polytechnic University
Igor Semiletov: Far-East Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences
Örjan Gustafsson: Stockholm University

Nature Communications, 2022, vol. 13, issue 1, 1-12

Abstract: Abstract Subsea permafrost represents a large carbon pool that might be or become a significant greenhouse gas source. Scarcity of observational data causes large uncertainties. We here use five 21-56 m long subsea permafrost cores from the Laptev Sea to constrain organic carbon (OC) storage and sources, degradation state and potential greenhouse gas production upon thaw. Grain sizes, optically-stimulated luminescence and biomarkers suggest deposition of aeolian silt and fluvial sand over 160 000 years, with dominant fluvial/alluvial deposition of forest- and tundra-derived organic matter. We estimate an annual thaw rate of 1.3 ± 0.6 kg OC m−2 in subsea permafrost in the area, nine-fold exceeding organic carbon thaw rates for terrestrial permafrost. During 20-month incubations, CH4 and CO2 production averaged 1.7 nmol and 2.4 µmol g−1 OC d−1, providing a baseline to assess the contribution of subsea permafrost to the high CH4 fluxes and strong ocean acidification observed in the region.

Date: 2022
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DOI: 10.1038/s41467-022-32696-0

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