A globally relevant stock of soil nitrogen in the Yedoma permafrost domain

Jens Strauss (), Christina Biasi, Tina Sanders, Benjamin W. Abbott, Thomas Schneider Deimling, Carolina Voigt, Matthias Winkel, Maija E. Marushchak, Dan Kou, Matthias Fuchs, Marcus A. Horn, Loeka L. Jongejans, Susanne Liebner, Jan Nitzbon, Lutz Schirrmeister, Katey Walter Anthony, Yuanhe Yang, Sebastian Zubrzycki, Sebastian Laboor, Claire Treat and Guido Grosse
Additional contact information
Jens Strauss: Alfred Wegener Institute Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research
Christina Biasi: University of Eastern Finland
Tina Sanders: Helmholtz-Zentrum Hereon
Benjamin W. Abbott: Brigham Young University
Thomas Schneider Deimling: Alfred Wegener Institute Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research
Carolina Voigt: University of Eastern Finland
Matthias Winkel: Interface Geochemistry Section, Helmholtz Centre Potsdam
Maija E. Marushchak: University of Eastern Finland
Dan Kou: University of Eastern Finland
Matthias Fuchs: Alfred Wegener Institute Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research
Marcus A. Horn: Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz Universität Hannover
Loeka L. Jongejans: Alfred Wegener Institute Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research
Susanne Liebner: Geomicrobiology Section
Jan Nitzbon: Alfred Wegener Institute Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research
Lutz Schirrmeister: Alfred Wegener Institute Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research
Katey Walter Anthony: University of Alaska Fairbanks
Yuanhe Yang: Chinese Academy of Sciences
Sebastian Zubrzycki: Universität Hamburg
Sebastian Laboor: Alfred Wegener Institute Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research
Claire Treat: Alfred Wegener Institute Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research
Guido Grosse: Alfred Wegener Institute Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research

Nature Communications, 2022, vol. 13, issue 1, 1-9

Abstract: Abstract Nitrogen regulates multiple aspects of the permafrost climate feedback, including plant growth, organic matter decomposition, and the production of the potent greenhouse gas nitrous oxide. Despite its importance, current estimates of permafrost nitrogen are highly uncertain. Here, we compiled a dataset of >2000 samples to quantify nitrogen stocks in the Yedoma domain, a region with organic-rich permafrost that contains ~25% of all permafrost carbon. We estimate that the Yedoma domain contains 41.2 gigatons of nitrogen down to ~20 metre for the deepest unit, which increases the previous estimate for the entire permafrost zone by ~46%. Approximately 90% of this nitrogen (37 gigatons) is stored in permafrost and therefore currently immobile and frozen. Here, we show that of this amount, ¾ is stored >3 metre depth, but if partially mobilised by thaw, this large nitrogen pool could have continental-scale consequences for soil and aquatic biogeochemistry and global-scale consequences for the permafrost feedback.

Date: 2022
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DOI: 10.1038/s41467-022-33794-9

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