East Siberian Arctic inland waters emit mostly contemporary carbon.

ABSTRACT: Inland waters (rivers, lakes and ponds) are important conduits for the emission of terrestrial carbon in Arctic permafrost landscapes. These emissions are driven by turnover of contemporary terrestrial carbon and additional pre-aged (Holocene and late-Pleistocene) carbon released from thawing permafrost soils, but the magnitude of these source contributions to total inland water carbon fluxes remains unknown. Here we present unique simultaneous radiocarbon age measurements of inland water CO₂, CH₄ and dissolved and particulate organic carbon in northeast Siberia during summer. We show that >80% of total inland water carbon was contemporary in age, but pre-aged carbon contributed >50% at sites strongly affected by permafrost thaw. CO₂ and CH₄ were

SUBMITTER: Dean JF 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7118085 | biostudies-literature | 2020 Apr

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature