Permafrost catchments in transition: hydrological controls on carbon cycling and greenhouse gas budgets
Lead Research Organisation:
University of Sheffield
Department Name: Geography
Abstract
The Arctic is undergoing rapid climatic change, with dramatic consequences for the 'Frozen World' (the 'cryosphere'), including reductions in the depth, extent and duration of sea ice, and seasonal snow cover on land, retreat of ice sheets/glaciers, and melting of permafrost ("ground that remains at or below 0 degrees C for at least two consecutive years"). This is important not only for local and regional ecosystems and human communities, but also for the functioning of the entire earth system. Evidence is growing that organic matter frozen in permafrost soils (often for many millennia) is now thawing, making it available for decomposition by soil organisms, with the release of carbon dioxide (CO2) and methane (CH4), both greenhouse gases (GHGs), as by-products. A major concern now is that, because permafrost soils contain 1672 petagrams (1 Pg = 1 billion tonnes) of organic carbon (C), which is about 50% of the total global below-ground pool of organic C, and permafrost underlies ~ 25% (23 million km2) of the N hemisphere land surface, a melting-induced release of GHGs to the atmosphere from permafrost soils could result in a major acceleration of global warming. This is called a 'positive biogeochemical feedback' on global change; in other words, an unintentional side-effect in the global C cycle and climate system.
Unfortunately, the interacting biological, chemical and physical controls on CO2 and CH4 emissions from permafrost (and melting permafrost) environments to the atmosphere are the subject of much speculation because the scientific community does not know enough about the interactions between C and water cycling in permafrost systems. Warmer and drier soils may release more CO2, while warmer/wetter soils might release more CH4. Permafrost thawing also causes changes in the way water flows though the landscape (because frozen ground if often impermeable to water), and some areas may become drier, while others wetter. How the relative proportions of CO2 and CH4 emissions change, and their absolute amount, is critical for the overall 'global warming potential' (GWP) because these two gases have different potency as GHGs. Release of C from soils into freshwaters also needs to be taken into account because down-stream 'de-gassing' and decomposition of organic materials also influences releases of CO2 and CH4 from freshwater, or delivery of C to lakes/oceans. All-in-all, predicting the GWP of permafrost regions is scientifically challenging, and the interactions between the water (hydrological) and C cycles are poorly known.
In this project we recognise the key role that hydrological processes play in landscape-scale C fluxes in arctic and boreal regions. In permafrost catchments in NW Canada (including areas where permafrost is known to be thawing) we will measure the capture of C from the atmosphere (through photosynthesis), its distribution in plants and soils, and the biological, physical and chemical controls of C transport and delivery from soils to freshwaters, and ultimately to the atmosphere as CO2 and CH4. In essence we wish to 'close the C cycle'. Field-based measurements of key processes in the water and C cycles, including geochemical tracer and state-of-the-art C, hydrogen and oxygen isotope approaches, will be linked by computer modelling. The project team, together with partners in Canada, the US and UK, is in a unique position to link the water and C cycles in permafrost environments, and we will deliver essential scientific knowledge on the potential consequences of climate warming, and permafrost thawing, for GHG emissions from northern high latitudes. Both for local peoples directly dependent on arctic tundra/boreal forest ecosystems for their livelihoods and cultural identity, and for the global community who must respond to, and anticipate, potential consequences of climate and environmental change, this project will represent a significant step forward in understanding/predictive capacity.
Unfortunately, the interacting biological, chemical and physical controls on CO2 and CH4 emissions from permafrost (and melting permafrost) environments to the atmosphere are the subject of much speculation because the scientific community does not know enough about the interactions between C and water cycling in permafrost systems. Warmer and drier soils may release more CO2, while warmer/wetter soils might release more CH4. Permafrost thawing also causes changes in the way water flows though the landscape (because frozen ground if often impermeable to water), and some areas may become drier, while others wetter. How the relative proportions of CO2 and CH4 emissions change, and their absolute amount, is critical for the overall 'global warming potential' (GWP) because these two gases have different potency as GHGs. Release of C from soils into freshwaters also needs to be taken into account because down-stream 'de-gassing' and decomposition of organic materials also influences releases of CO2 and CH4 from freshwater, or delivery of C to lakes/oceans. All-in-all, predicting the GWP of permafrost regions is scientifically challenging, and the interactions between the water (hydrological) and C cycles are poorly known.
In this project we recognise the key role that hydrological processes play in landscape-scale C fluxes in arctic and boreal regions. In permafrost catchments in NW Canada (including areas where permafrost is known to be thawing) we will measure the capture of C from the atmosphere (through photosynthesis), its distribution in plants and soils, and the biological, physical and chemical controls of C transport and delivery from soils to freshwaters, and ultimately to the atmosphere as CO2 and CH4. In essence we wish to 'close the C cycle'. Field-based measurements of key processes in the water and C cycles, including geochemical tracer and state-of-the-art C, hydrogen and oxygen isotope approaches, will be linked by computer modelling. The project team, together with partners in Canada, the US and UK, is in a unique position to link the water and C cycles in permafrost environments, and we will deliver essential scientific knowledge on the potential consequences of climate warming, and permafrost thawing, for GHG emissions from northern high latitudes. Both for local peoples directly dependent on arctic tundra/boreal forest ecosystems for their livelihoods and cultural identity, and for the global community who must respond to, and anticipate, potential consequences of climate and environmental change, this project will represent a significant step forward in understanding/predictive capacity.
Planned Impact
The proposed research will impact directly upon a range of key beneficiaries. We will use our existing contacts to contribute to the development of the stakeholder engagement strategy for the wider NERC Arctic Research Programme. Specifically, we aim to (1) enhance the profile of UK Arctic research through collaboration with the wider scientific/policy-maker communities in both the UK and Canada, (2) support outreach activities on the consequences of change to those dependent on the Arctic environment; in particular, economic and societal impact on the local and regional communities, and (3) promote a wider understanding of the local through to global implications of change in the northern latitudes within schools and the wider public through public engagement in science activities. Specific exemplars of beneficiaries we will actively target include: UK and Canadian government departments and their relevant agencies. The tangible benefits will be improved modelling, and hence more robust outputs and understanding, leading to stronger evidence-based policy decisions. In the UK these stakeholders will include the Met Office and Department for Energy and Climate Change. In Canada the principle beneficiary will be Environment Canada (EC), which is mandated to preserve the natural environment. Internationally the main route to dissemination to other governments is through IPCC and its scientific evidence base. For example, Co-I Smith and the Met Office Hadley Centre are developing the Joint UK Land Environment Simulator (JULES) model, for which the ECOSSE model (used in this project), forms the basis of the modelling of soil C, N and GHG fluxes.
The existing working relationship between Project Partners and the Met Office will ensure that new understanding generated by the project will be incorporated into these models, and provide evidence for further policy development. Key direct benefits, in terms of improvement in models and their parameterisation and development, will accrue over the timescale of the life of the proposed project and ca. 12-24 months following its completion (i.e. direct impacts of very high relevance on a short timescale). For example, the IPCC Fifth Assessment report, for which one of our team members (Smith) is a convening lead author, is currently being drafted and is due for completion in 2014. Work from this project will be of direct relevance to WGI, which addresses the physical science basis of climate change.
Key international beneficiaries (further raising the UK influence in the climate change arena) include Environment Canada and the United States Geological Survey (USGS). For example, we will work with the Great Rivers Observatory Project (USGS) to enhance understanding of circum-arctic and circum-boreal affects of permafrost thaw on terrestrial and aquatic systems. Furthermore, through our contacts with EC we have constructed key parts of our proposal to build on, and extend, EC research. Our project outputs will directly benefit EC, and other national (US, UK) institutions responsible for monitoring and predicting climate change and its effects (US National Centre for Atmospheric Research (NCAR), US National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration ( NOAA), UK Met Office).
Our public engagement will help improve awareness and concern for the Arctic and likely impacts of change. Better information to individuals in the general population plays a key role in determining future public policy decisions and outcomes. All the opportunities afforded by the wealth of interactions between the public and statutory bodies detailed above, plus with local communities, schools and colleges, will be a major training component for both the early career researchers (PDRAs) employed on the project, to help broaden and develop their career paths in science. For complete details see the full Pathways to Impact document attached.
The existing working relationship between Project Partners and the Met Office will ensure that new understanding generated by the project will be incorporated into these models, and provide evidence for further policy development. Key direct benefits, in terms of improvement in models and their parameterisation and development, will accrue over the timescale of the life of the proposed project and ca. 12-24 months following its completion (i.e. direct impacts of very high relevance on a short timescale). For example, the IPCC Fifth Assessment report, for which one of our team members (Smith) is a convening lead author, is currently being drafted and is due for completion in 2014. Work from this project will be of direct relevance to WGI, which addresses the physical science basis of climate change.
Key international beneficiaries (further raising the UK influence in the climate change arena) include Environment Canada and the United States Geological Survey (USGS). For example, we will work with the Great Rivers Observatory Project (USGS) to enhance understanding of circum-arctic and circum-boreal affects of permafrost thaw on terrestrial and aquatic systems. Furthermore, through our contacts with EC we have constructed key parts of our proposal to build on, and extend, EC research. Our project outputs will directly benefit EC, and other national (US, UK) institutions responsible for monitoring and predicting climate change and its effects (US National Centre for Atmospheric Research (NCAR), US National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration ( NOAA), UK Met Office).
Our public engagement will help improve awareness and concern for the Arctic and likely impacts of change. Better information to individuals in the general population plays a key role in determining future public policy decisions and outcomes. All the opportunities afforded by the wealth of interactions between the public and statutory bodies detailed above, plus with local communities, schools and colleges, will be a major training component for both the early career researchers (PDRAs) employed on the project, to help broaden and develop their career paths in science. For complete details see the full Pathways to Impact document attached.
Organisations
- University of Sheffield (Lead Research Organisation)
- McMaster University (Collaboration)
- UNIVERSITY OF EDINBURGH (Collaboration)
- University of Sussex (Collaboration)
- Northwest Territories Geoscience Office (Collaboration)
- Wilfrid Laurier University (Collaboration)
- Heriot-Watt University (Collaboration)
- United States Geological Survey (Collaboration)
- University of Montreal (Collaboration)
- Natural Environment Research Council (Collaboration)
- University of Ottawa (Collaboration)
- UNIVERSITY OF EXETER (Collaboration)
Publications
Cooper M. D. A.
(2014)
Methane Emissions are Predominantly Derived from Contemporary Carbon from a Thawing Permafrost Peatland in Canada
in AGU Fall Meeting Abstracts
Dean J
(2018)
Abundant pre-industrial carbon detected in Canadian Arctic headwaters: implications for the permafrost carbon feedback
in Environmental Research Letters
Dean JF
(2016)
Biogeochemistry of "pristine" freshwater stream and lake systems in the western Canadian Arctic.
in Biogeochemistry
Friggens NL
(2020)
Tree planting in organic soils does not result in net carbon sequestration on decadal timescales.
in Global change biology
Description | Increasingly productive ecosystems in the Arctic, associated with global warming, may not mean that these systems remove (sequester) more carbon from the atmosphere than previously (as has often been assumed in modelling studies). In our study we now have strong evidence that 'shrubification' (proliferation of tall shrubs) on arctic tundra could result in net losses of soil (and, potentially, ecosystem) carbon to the atmosphere and to drainage waters. A process that we are investigating further is called 'rhizosphere priming' (and regarding which we have launched a new project - NERC 'PRIME-TIME' - with fieldwork based in Swedish Lapland), whereby the presence of plant roots with specific types of symbiotic associations with fungi, accelerates the decomposition of soil organic matter in order to release nutrients in plant-available forms. This may be especially important in the context of highly organic-rich soils, where the carbon is potentially vulnerable to decomposition upon warming and/or thawing. In the paper by Street et al. (2018) (Environ. Res. Lett. 13 084014, doi: https://doi.org/10.1088/1748-9326/aad363) we report on the use of stable carbon isotope (13C) labelling, in the field, to quantify the allocation of photosynthate (recently photosynthesized C) between different ecosystem components for two common deciduous Arctic shrubs, both of which are increasing in abundance in the study region. We provide the first evidence that the impact of shrub expansion on Arctic C cycling will be species-dependant. Where dwarf birch dominates, ~1/3 of recently photosynthesised C will be rapidly allocated belowground to soil and microbial pools, while where green alder dominates, more recently fixed C will be allocated to woody biomass. We conclude that models driven by remotely-sensed aboveground canopy characteristics alone (i.e. greenness) will be unable to accurately represent the impact of vegetation change on Arctic C storage. Building on our stable isotope pulse-chase work, we used natural-abundance 14C (radiocarbon) approaches, published in the paper by Street et al. (2020) (Global Change Biol, doi: https://doi.org/10.1111/gcb.15134), to show, for the first time, that recent photosynthate drives (primes) mineralization of older (>50 years old) soil organic carbon (SOC) under birch shrubs and ericaceous heath tundra. By contrast, we found no evidence of rhizosphere priming effects (RPEs) in soils under alder. This is the first direct evidence from permafrost systems that vegetation influences SOC turnover through below-ground C allocation. The vulnerability of SOC to decomposition in permafrost systems may therefore be directly linked to vegetation change, such that expansion of birch shrubs across the Arctic could increase decomposition of older SOC. Carbon cycle models that do not include RPEs risk underestimating the carbon cycle feedbacks associated with changing conditions in tundra regions. Our study also provides compelling evidence of the importance of considering land-to-freshwater fluxes of carbon, and their downstream fate, in understanding regional carbon cycling (Dean et al. (2016) Biogeochemistry, doi: 10.1007/s10533-016-0252-2). These fluxes, in headwater catchments, are often overlooked in greenhouse gas budgeting, especially in remote locations. Our analyses of streamwater chemistry, however, and both dissolved organic and inorganic carbon isotope composition, provides evidence for substantial release of pre-industrial (~1750) organic matter from the surrounding catchment (Dean et al. (2018) Environmental Research Letters, https://doi.org/10.1088/1748-9326/aaa1fe). This may be related to increasing thaw depth recorded in the last 3-4 decades, and the phenomenon could be widespread in upland tundra experiencing recent warming. This research paper has featured in an article in the Washington Post, published 1 March 2018 (https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/energy-environment/wp/2018/03/01/ancient-carbon-is-coming-from-arctic-soil-it-might-be-fine-but-it-might-be-terrible-2/?utm_term=.baadb94d0560). Whilst our work analysing, interpreting and publishing our results is on-going, our results are already being fed into ecological/biogeochemical models and will inform regional and international policy on environmental management in due course. In the future, we are keen to unravel the role of soil microbial diversity and metabolism in the emissions of carbon dioxide and methane in permafrost landscapes undergoing rapid transition. This understanding is crucial because recent analysis (Hope and Schaefer (2015) Nature Climate Change, doi: 10.1038/nclimate2807) puts the costs of thawing permafrost at $43 trillion (US) in extra economic damage by the end of the next century. Our project has also shed light directly on this issue because we have deployed 'redox' sensors at landscape scale, together with measurements of soil/sediment and stream-bed carbon dioxide and methane concentrations (Street et al. (2016) Journal of Geophysical Research - Biogeosciences, doi: 10.1002/2016JG003387), to demonstrate the complexity of conditions at landscape scale, and their development through the thaw season, that influence the production of greenhouse gases. This work has also underpinned a new collaboration with Jennifer Pratscher at UEA/Heriot-Watt University, who has now undertaken microbial molecular analyses of a suite of samples collected from the site. Indeed this research has also isolated and identified a new facultative methanotroph (methane consuming) strain of bacterium, 'Methylocella silvestris TVC', named after Trail Valley Creek, the location where the organism was found (Wang et al. (2018) Genome Announcements, doi: 10.1128/genomeA.00040-18). All described methanotrophic species belonging to the genus Methylocella possess a soluble methane monooxygenase (sMMO), a key methane-oxidizing enzyme only present in a subset of methanotrophs. Methanotrophic bacteria are a key component of the global methane budget, and this work, taken together, will enable us to refine our understanding (and ability to model and predict) the effect of changing climate, and permafrost thaw, on landscape-scale physico-chemical conditions and the implications for greenhouse gas fluxes. |
Exploitation Route | Our results are already being fed into ecological/biogeochemical models and will inform regional and international policy on global change and environmental management in due course. Our results also challenge the current understanding of plant-soil interactions, with implications for ecosystem carbon stocks and net greenhouse gas fluxes. In particular, the role of rhizosphere priming effects needs to be incorporated into process-based biogeochemical and biophysical modelling and scaled-up to the Pan-Arctic. We have now (as of December 2016) launched a new NERC-funded project (NE/P002722/1: Will more productive Arctic ecosystems sequester less soil carbon? A key role for priming in the rhizosphere ('PRIMETIME')) investigating priming effects in more mechanistic detail, as a direct development of HYDRA (the current project). |
Sectors | Chemicals Communities and Social Services/Policy Education Energy Environment Leisure Activities including Sports Recreation and Tourism Manufacturing including Industrial Biotechology Security and Diplomacy Transport |
URL | http://www.project-hydra.net/ |
Description | Our findings have been used in a wide range of public engagement contexts (see 'Engagement Activities' for more details), both in the UK and in Canada. They span a show at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe ('Skating on Thin Ice'; as part of the Beltane Initiative's 'Cabaret of Dangerous Ideas' series), participation in 'Bang Goes the Borders' and the 'Orkney Science Festival' in 2015, through to presenting and discussing our work with First Nations (Inuvialuit and Gwich'in) students at Aurora College in Inuvik, Canada. Whilst our work analysing, interpreting and publishing our results is on-going, our results are already being fed into ecological/biogeochemical models and will inform regional and international policy on environmental management in due course. |
First Year Of Impact | 2013 |
Sector | Communities and Social Services/Policy,Education,Energy,Environment,Culture, Heritage, Museums and Collections,Security and Diplomacy |
Impact Types | Cultural Societal |
Description | Co-Chairing the International Arctic Science Committee's (IASC) Action Group on Carbon Footprint (AGCF) |
Geographic Reach | Multiple continents/international |
Policy Influence Type | Membership of a guideline committee |
URL | https://iasc.info/our-work/action-groups/26-action-group-on-carbon-footprint |
Description | NERC Discovery Science |
Amount | £794,307 (GBP) |
Funding ID | NE/P002722/1 |
Organisation | Natural Environment Research Council |
Sector | Public |
Country | United Kingdom |
Start | 12/2016 |
End | 05/2020 |
Title | Meteorological data for the Siksik catchment, North West Territories, Canada for 2013 and 2014 |
Description | Data comprise meterological measurements (mean, minimum and maximum daily air temperature, minimum and maximum daily relative humidity, wind speed (kilometres per second at 10metres height), dew point temperature, estimated actual vapour pressure, precipitation, estimated surface resistance, estimated albedo and estimated Potential evapotranspiration (PET)) for the Siksik catchment, North West Territories, Canada for 2013 and 2014. The data were collected under Project HYDRA, a NERC funded UK research project linking Heriot Watt University, the Universities of Durham, Aberdeen and Stirling, and the Centre for Ecology & Hydrology (CEH), Edinburgh. Project HYDRA is part of the UK Arctic Research Programme. Project HYDRA studies sites in Arctic Canada to investigate the biological, chemical and physical controls on the release of greenhouse gases from permafrost into melt water and to the atmosphere and how these emissions will influence global warming. |
Type Of Material | Database/Collection of data |
Year Produced | 2016 |
Provided To Others? | Yes |
Impact | Development of research papers. |
URL | https://catalogue.ceh.ac.uk/id/5bb560ee-15bf-4ab9-8c2e-3a76c688e69d |
Title | Soil pH and bulk density depth profiles in the Siksik catchment, North West Territories, Canada |
Description | Data comprise pH and bulk density measurements (location (longitude, latitude), depth, bulk density) for multiple soil profiles in the SikSik catchment, North West Territories, Canada. Samples were collected along a transect in September 2014. Soil samples were taken near additional soil pits. Soil depth and sampling location (latitude and longitude) was recorded. Bulk density was determined according to Blake and Hartge (1986). pH was determined with the 1:5 soil:water suspension method (see supporting documentation). The data were collected under Project HYDRA, a NERC funded UK research project linking Heriot Watt University, the Universities of Durham, Aberdeen and Stirling, and the Centre for Ecology & Hydrology (CEH), Edinburgh. Project HYDRA is part of the UK Arctic Research Programme. Project HYDRA studies sites in Arctic Canada to investigate the biological, chemical and physical controls on the release of greenhouse gases from permafrost into melt water and to the atmosphere and how these emissions will influence global warming. |
Type Of Material | Database/Collection of data |
Year Produced | 2016 |
Provided To Others? | Yes |
Impact | Development of research papers. |
URL | https://catalogue.ceh.ac.uk/id/a37e6aa4-b003-49bd-9a16-619a7d0dd714 |
Title | Soil temperature, soil moisture, air temperature and relative humidity for vegetation at Siksik Creek, North West Territories, Canada |
Description | Data comprise soil temperature, air temperature, soil volumetric moisture content, relative humidity, and surface wetness data from Onset Microstation Data Loggers at 5 locations (within the main vegetation types) at SikSik creek catchment, Trail Valley Creek, NWT, Canada. The data were collected under Project HYDRA, a NERC funded UK research project linking Heriot Watt University, the Universities of Durham, Aberdeen and Stirling, and the Centre for Ecology & Hydrology (CEH), Edinburgh. Project HYDRA is part of the UK Arctic Research Programme. Project HYDRA studies sites in Arctic Canada to investigate the biological, chemical and physical controls on the release of greenhouse gases from permafrost into melt water and to the atmosphere and how these emissions will influence global warming. |
Type Of Material | Database/Collection of data |
Year Produced | 2016 |
Provided To Others? | Yes |
Impact | Development of research papers. |
URL | https://catalogue.ceh.ac.uk/id/10839b38-cc29-4a07-999a-ac32e3f70609 |
Title | Sub-hourly discharge data for the Siksik catchment, North West Territories, Canada from September 2009 to September 2010 |
Description | Data comprise sub-hourly discharge measurements including mean stream height, discharge and stream temperature collected at station S2 on the Siksik stream, North West Territories, Canada, between September 2009 and March 2010. Measurements were taken at a field site based at SikSik Creek a small sub-catchment of the Trail Valley Creek, approximately 60km north of Inuvik. The data were collected under Project HYDRA, a NERC funded UK research project linking Heriot Watt University, the Universities of Durham, Aberdeen and Stirling, and the Centre for Ecology & Hydrology (CEH), Edinburgh. Project HYDRA is part of the UK Arctic Research Programme. Project HYDRA studies sites in Arctic Canada to investigate the biological, chemical and physical controls on the release of greenhouse gases from permafrost into melt water and to the atmosphere and how these emissions will influence global warming. |
Type Of Material | Database/Collection of data |
Year Produced | 2016 |
Provided To Others? | Yes |
Impact | Development of research papers. |
URL | https://catalogue.ceh.ac.uk/id/1ee887d3-aabd-4fb7-b48e-056229a15c6f |
Description | NERC 'HYDRA' Partnerships - Antoni Lewkowicz |
Organisation | University of Ottawa |
Country | Canada |
Sector | Academic/University |
PI Contribution | Application of expertise on carbon cycle research to on-going work on hydrology in permafrost landscapes. |
Collaborator Contribution | We are able to access their research sites and long-term data, and to work with them on joint research outputs. |
Impact | Not yet. |
Start Year | 2013 |
Description | NERC 'HYDRA' Partnerships - Iain Hartley |
Organisation | University of Exeter |
Department | Department of Geography |
Country | United Kingdom |
Sector | Academic/University |
PI Contribution | This collaboration was made possible through UK DECC funding (via NERC), to Hartley, but with a salary contribution to Wookey. The project concerns quantifying and understandning methane fluxes in landscapes undergoing rapid transition, and my role has been to work with the project PDRA (Mark Cooper) at the Trail Valley research site in Northwest Territories, Canada. |
Collaborator Contribution | Through PDRA Cooper, Iain Hartley has extended our methane concentration and flux measurements at Trail Valley Creek to the landscape scale. This will also strengthen the links with partner Oliver Sonnentag. |
Impact | A related outcome is: Hartley IP, Hill TC, Wade TJ, Clement RJ, Moncrieff JB, Prieto-Blanco A, Disney MI, Huntley B, Williams M, Howden NJK, Wookey PA, Baxter R (2015) Quantifying landscape-level methane fluxes in subarctic Finland using a multiscale approach. Global Change Biology, 21, 3712-3725. |
Start Year | 2013 |
Description | NERC 'HYDRA' Partnerships - Jennifer Pratscher (2015 - Still Active) |
Organisation | Heriot-Watt University |
Country | United Kingdom |
Sector | Academic/University |
PI Contribution | Jennifer (a NERC Independent Research Fellow based at Heriot-Watt University; https://www.hw.ac.uk/staff/uk/egis/jennifer-pratscher.htm) became involved through links with Colin Murrell. She has now sampled and analysed soils from Trail Valley Creek for microbial community composition. |
Collaborator Contribution | Microbial molecular genetics analysis of soil and sediment samples. |
Impact | Data currently being interpreted and analysed. |
Start Year | 2015 |
Description | NERC 'HYDRA' Partnerships - Julian Murton |
Organisation | University of Sussex |
Country | United Kingdom |
Sector | Academic/University |
PI Contribution | Application of expertise on carbon cycle research to on-going work on hydrology and ground ice in permafrost landscapes. |
Collaborator Contribution | We are able to access their research sites and long-term data, and to work with them on joint research outputs. |
Impact | Not yet. |
Start Year | 2013 |
Description | NERC 'HYDRA' Partnerships - Mark Garnett |
Organisation | Natural Environment Research Council |
Department | NERC Radiocarbon Facility (Environment) |
Country | United Kingdom |
Sector | Charity/Non Profit |
PI Contribution | Development and application of state-of-the-art 14C isotope approaches (at natural abundance levels) to global C cycle research. |
Collaborator Contribution | Development and application of state-of-the-art 14C isotope approaches (at natural abundance levels) to global C cycle research. |
Impact | Hartley IP, Garnett MH, Sommerkorn M, Hopkins DW, Fletcher BJ, Sloan VL, Phoenix GK, Wookey PA (2012) A potential loss of carbon associated with greater plant growth in the European Arctic. Nature Climate Change. DOI: 10.1038/NCLIMATE1575. Hartley IP, Garnett MH, Sommerkorn M, Hopkins DW, Wookey PA (2013). The age of CO2 released from soils in contrasting ecosystems during the arctic winter. Soil Biology and Biochemistry 63: 1-4. |
Start Year | 2013 |
Description | NERC 'HYDRA' Partnerships - Mathew Williams |
Organisation | University of Edinburgh |
Country | United Kingdom |
Sector | Academic/University |
PI Contribution | We are linking two NERC-funded projects (ours and 'CYCLOPS', coordinated by Mat Williams) to improve our understanding of processes by integrating experimental and observational data using ecosystem and biogeochemical models. This also involves Prof Pete Smith (Aberdeen) who is a direct participant in our broader project. |
Collaborator Contribution | Mutual expertise and data for modelling activities. |
Impact | Hartley IP, Hopkins DW, Garnett MH, Sommerkorn M, Wookey PA (2008) Soil microbial respiration in arctic soil does not acclimate to temperature. Ecology Letters 11:1092-1100. Garnett MH, Hartley IP, Hopkins DW, Sommerkorn M, Wookey PA (2009) A passive sampling method for radiocarbon analysis of soil respiration using molecular sieve. Soil Biology and Biochemistry 41:1450-1456. Hartley IP, Hopkins DW, Garnett MH, Sommerkorn M, Wookey PA (2009) No evidence for compensatory thermal adaptation of soil microbial respiration in the study of Bradford et al. (2008). Ecology Letters 12:E12-E14. Hartley IP, Hopkins DW, Sommerkorn M, Wookey PA (2010) The response of organic matter mineralisation to nutrient and substrate additions in sub-arctic soils. Soil Biology and Biochemistry 42:92-100. Hartley IP, Garnett MH, Sommerkorn M, Hopkins DW, Fletcher BJ, Sloan VL, Phoenix GK, Wookey PA (2012) A potential loss of carbon associated with greater plant growth in the European Arctic. Nature Climate Change. DOI: 10.1038/NCLIMATE1575. Hartley IP, Garnett MH, Sommerkorn M, Hopkins DW, Wookey PA (2013). The age of CO2 released from soils in contrasting ecosystems during the arctic winter. Soil Biology and Biochemistry 63: 1-4. Hartley IP, Hill TC, Wade TJ, Clement RJ, Moncrieff JB, Prieto-Blanco A, Disney MI, Huntley B, Williams M, Howden NJK, Wookey PA, Baxter R (2015) Quantifying landscape-level methane fluxes in subarctic Finland using a multiscale approach. Global Change Biology, 21, 3712-3725. |
Start Year | 2013 |
Description | NERC 'HYDRA' Partnerships - Oliver Sonnentag |
Organisation | University of Montreal |
Country | Canada |
Sector | Academic/University |
PI Contribution | Oliver Sonnentag has been working at our main research site, Trail Valley Creek, in Northwest Territories, Canada, for the duration of our project, conducting eddy-flux measurements of methae (CH4) fluxes across the landscape. His data complement our own flux data, and soil/sediment CH4 concentration data. |
Collaborator Contribution | Oliver Sonnentag has been working at our main research site, Trail Valley Creek, in Northwest Territories, Canada, for the duration of our project, conducting eddy-flux measurements of methane (CH4) fluxes across the landscape. His data complement our own flux data, and soil/sediment CH4 concentration data. |
Impact | Not yet. |
Start Year | 2013 |
Description | NERC 'HYDRA' Partnerships - Phil Marsh |
Organisation | Wilfrid Laurier University |
Country | Canada |
Sector | Academic/University |
PI Contribution | Application of expertise on carbon cycle research to on-going work on hydrology in permafrost landscapes. |
Collaborator Contribution | Phil Marsh (now at Wilfrid Laurier University, but previously at Environment Canada) has, for many years, been researching the hydrological cycle at locations in the Western Canadian Arctic (Trail Valley Creek (TVC) and Havikpak Creek (HPC)). This work includes testing and improving a suite of hydrological models, including GEOtop, to consider past and future changes to the hydrological cycle, and the consideration of the interactions between climate, hydrology, vegetation and permafrost. For these studies, Marsh and colleagues have operated meteorological towers for the last 20 years over northern boreal forest, shrub tundra, and tundra surfaces at both TVC and HPC. Each site has a suite of instrumentation including standard meteorological data and eddy covariance instrumentation for sensible and latent heat flux at key times of the year. Until recently, however, Marsh and co have not been considering carbon export from these basins, but the existing hydrological and climatological data, and modeling expertise, greatly benefit our research. Specifically, Marsh and co are providing meteorological and flux data, and are collaborating with us on the analysis of these data and the publication of key results. |
Impact | Not yet. |
Start Year | 2013 |
Description | NERC 'HYDRA' Partnerships - Rob Striegl |
Organisation | US Geological Survey |
Country | United States |
Sector | Public |
PI Contribution | We are complementing long-term work on the hydrology of boreal catchment systems with state-of-the-art approaches to understanding carbon cycling and fluxes. |
Collaborator Contribution | We are able to access their research sites and long-term data, and to work with them on joint research outputs |
Impact | Not yet. |
Start Year | 2013 |
Description | NERC 'HYDRA' Partnerships - Sean Carey |
Organisation | McMaster University |
Country | Canada |
Sector | Academic/University |
PI Contribution | We are complementing long-term work on the hydrology of boreal catchment systems with state-of-the-art approaches to understanding carbon cycling and fluxes. |
Collaborator Contribution | We are able to access their research sites and long-term data, and to work with them on joint research outputs. |
Impact | Not at this stage. |
Start Year | 2013 |
Description | NERC 'HYDRA' Partnerships - Steve Kokelj |
Organisation | Northwest Territories Geoscience Office |
Country | Canada |
Sector | Public |
PI Contribution | We are complementing long-term work on the hydrology of boreal and tunda catchment systems with state-of-the-art approaches to understanding carbon cycling and fluxes. |
Collaborator Contribution | We are able to access their research sites and long-term data, and to work with them on joint research outputs. We are also benefiting from detailed advice on ground thermal regimes and the evolution of ground ice features, as well as contacts in the First Nations communities relevant to our work. |
Impact | Not yet. |
Start Year | 2013 |
Description | 'Changing Canadian Arctic' Research Planning Meeting |
Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | International |
Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
Results and Impact | Delivered an invited presentation ('Natural environment - focused research activities in the Canadian Arctic') on behalf of UKRI / NERC, at the Changing Canadian Arctic Workshop, 19 June 2019, London. This was a discussion forum/workshop to engage with all stakeholders in advance of the launch of this new programme (expected in 2020). |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2019 |
URL | https://www.arctic.ac.uk/news/the-changing-canadian-arctic-workshop/ |
Description | All-Party Parliamentary Group for the Polar Regions' Parliamentary Briefing on Permafrost |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | National |
Primary Audience | Policymakers/politicians |
Results and Impact | This was a presentation by Prof Philip Wookey, together with Prof Margareta Johansson from Lund University (Sweden), Prof Mary Edwards from Southampton University and Dr Tori Herridge from the Natural History Museum, to the All-Party Parliamentary Group for the Polar Regions. It was chaired by the Rt Hon James Gray MP. The title of the session (held on 29 June 2021) was "The Mammoths Found in the Thawing Permafrost." This theme provided an opportunity to brief parliamentarians, and their friends/family, on broader issues concerning permafrost thaw, palaeontology and global warming. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2021 |
URL | https://mailchi.mp/1ff026dbe077/permafrost-report |
Description | BES (British Ecological Society) Annual Meeting 2016 Presentation |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | International |
Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
Results and Impact | Presentation in session S33: Ecosystem Ecology & Function, Biogeochemical Cycles & Plant-Soil Interactions. Presentation title " Could 'shrubification' and forest expansion threaten soil carbon stocks in the Arctic?" Initiated substantial discussions subsequently, albeit with professional practitioners. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2016 |
URL | https://www.britishecologicalsociety.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/BES-Programme-2016-web.pdf |
Description | Bang Goes the Borders - 'Keeping Carbon Cool' |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | International |
Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
Results and Impact | Interactive public displays to communicate why we should care about the future of permafrost ecosystems. Bang Goes the Borders, Melrose, September, 2015. Beltane Public Engagement Network. Presenters: Lorna Street, Nancy Burns. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2015 |
URL | http://www.beltanenetwork.org/opportunities/useful-organisations/bang-goes-the-borders/ |
Description | Conference presentation ar 'Polar2018', Davos, Switzerland, 21 June 2018 - "Will Rhizosphere ´Priming´ Limit Soil Carbon Sequestration in a Warmer Arctic?" |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | International |
Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
Results and Impact | This was a conference presentation at Polar2018, Davos, Switzerland, 21 June 2018, co-authored by Philip A Wookey, Thomas C Parker, Karina E Clemmensen, Mark H Garnett, Iain P Hartley, David Johnson, Björn D Lindahl, Lorna E Street, Jens-Arne Subke & Mathew Williams . Introducing research on global change and ecosystem dynamics to an international audience. Broadening understanding of global change impacts on ecosystem dynamics, and their feedback implications on climate. This presentation, focused on what happens around plant roots in a changing Arctic, attracted a large audience (standing room only) interested in global change and the carbon cycle. Lively debate afterwards. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2018 |
URL | http://www.professionalabstracts.com/POLAR2018/iPlanner/#/presentation/575 |
Description | Conference presentation, International Tundra Experiment (ITEX) |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | International |
Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
Results and Impact | Conference presentation (by Tom Parker) at the 19th ITEX (International Tundra Experiment) Meeting, held in Stirling, Scotland, 24-28 April 2018, entitled "Soil respiration from sub-arctic tree and shrub communities is driven by recent photosynthate", by Parker TC, Clemmensen K, Lindstrom-Friggens N, Garnett M, Hartley I, Johnson D, Lindahl B, Street L, Subke J-A & Wookey PA. Stimulated substantial debate on the role of tundra and northern boreal ecosystems in the global carbon cycle. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2018 |
URL | https://www.gvsu.edu/itex/19th-itex-meeting-stirling-scotland-12.htm |
Description | Discussion Forum at the Royal Institution, London |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | National |
Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
Results and Impact | December 2nd 2019 - Panel Member (Robert Baxter) of the Discussion Forum at the Royal Institution, London, entitled "Unspoilt World? Arctic geopolitics and modern exploration" - providing an ecological perspective. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2019 |
URL | https://www.rigb.org/whats-on/events-2019/december/public-unspoilt-world |
Description | EU Researchers' Night |
Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
Part Of Official Scheme? | Yes |
Geographic Reach | International |
Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
Results and Impact | In excess of 750 members of the public (of all age ranges, but with many of primary school age) participated in an event to 'Meet a Researcher'. This sparked lots of questions and gave hands-on experience with interactive exhibits from research teams. None tangible at this stage! |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2014 |
URL | http://ec.europa.eu/research/researchersnight/index_en.htm |
Description | Edinburgh International Festival Fringe - 'Skating on Thin Ice' |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | International |
Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
Results and Impact | A public engagement show (comedy) for the Cabaret of Dangerous Ideas at the Edinburgh Fringe in 2015. 'Skating on Thin Ice' was performed by Lorna Street (PDRA) and Philip Wookey (Principal Investigator), with Comedian Susan Morrison as the MC, at St Andrew's Square on 21 August 2015, and reached an audience of ~40. This was a fun show, but designed to address key issues and controversies concerning global warming, with a specific focus on the importance of the Arctic. The show included a lot of audience interaction, with quiz sections (along the lines of BBC's 'Have I Got News for You'), direct audience participation on stage (children), and 'live' methane analysis in the audience! |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2015 |
URL | http://codi.beltanenetwork.org/codi-2015/the-shows/calander/ |
Description | Interview for national news |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A press release, press conference or response to a media enquiry/interview |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | National |
Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
Results and Impact | Interview on BBC Reporting Scotland (with BBC Scotland's Environment, Energy & Rural Affairs correspondent, Kevin Keane) regarding preparations for COP26, following the postponement of the conference from November 2020 to 2021 (due to COVID-19). |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2020 |
URL | https://ukcop26.org/ |
Description | Invited Lecture to the Royal Meteorological Society, Edinburgh |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | Regional |
Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
Results and Impact | This was an evening talk to members of the Royal Meteorological Society, on Tuesday 15 December 2015, entitled "Biogenic feedbacks and the 'Arctic Amplification' of climate change". There was a lively debate of the issues addressed following the talk, and an increased awareness that climate is linked to ecosystem dynamics in this area of the world where change is occurring so quickly. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2015 |
Description | Invited Public Lecture - University of Calgary, Arctic Institute of North America - "Biospheric feedbacks and the 'Arctic Amplification' of climate change" |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | International |
Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
Results and Impact | This was an invited presentation as part of the Arctic Institute of North America's 'Arctic Speaker Series 2017-18'. Purpose; to engage with the public on key research topics relating to the Arctic. Title: "Biospheric feedbacks and the 'Arctic Amplification' of climate change" The talk resulted in a lively debate subsequently. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2018 |
URL | https://arctic.ucalgary.ca/arctic-speaker-series-2017-18 |
Description | Invited seminar - Umea University February 2019 |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | International |
Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
Results and Impact | Seminar given to faculty and students (postgraduate) at Umea University. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2019 |
Description | Organisation of Conference Thematic Session, British Ecological Society |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | International |
Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
Results and Impact | Organisation of the Thematic Session entitled "From plant input to soil organic matter: the role of mycorrhizal fungi." This prestigious session was co-organised by François-Xavier Joly (University of Stirling) and Tom Parker (University of Stirling). Remit: "The mycorrhizal dominance of a given ecosystem is increasingly viewed as a central mediator of plant-soil interactions. In this session, we aim to bring together ecologists whose research aims, through diverse approaches, at exploring how mycorrhizal fungi control the fate of plant inputs in the soil." The session brought together world-leading researchers in this field, and sparked a vigorous, and on-going, debate, highlighting the global significance of this, often overlooked, topic. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2019 |
URL | https://www.britishecologicalsociety.org/events/annual-meeting-2019/call-thematic-sessions/ |
Description | Orkney Science Festival - 'Keeping carbon cool' |
Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | International |
Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
Results and Impact | Interactive public displays to communicate why we should care about the future of permafrost ecosystems. Orkney Science Festival, September, 2015. Beltane Public Engagement Network. Presenters: Lorna Street, Nancy Burns. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2015 |
URL | http://oisf.org/ |
Description | Public ('inaugural') lecture in connection with professorial appointment to the University of Stirling. |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | International |
Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
Results and Impact | Professorial inaugural lecture in connection with appointment, entitled "Biospheric feedbacks and the 'Arctic Amplification' of climate change." The purpose of this is to 'profess' the discipline, and provide an accessible overview of a personal career contribution. The talk was delivered as one of the opening contributions to the University of Stirling's 2018 Research Week. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2018 |
Description | Public Lecture, Dartmouth College, NH, USA |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | International |
Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
Results and Impact | An invited public lecture at the Institute for Arctic Studies, Dartmouth College, NH, USA. 75 members of the public and faculty staff and students. Excellent wide-ranging discussion on climate change in the Arctic regions chaired by the Director of the Institute. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2016 |
Description | Public Lecture, Queens University, Kingston, Canada |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | Regional |
Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
Results and Impact | Discussions on Arctic climate work ongoing and planned; visit to field station and interactions on development of research questions and their associated experiments. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2016 |
Description | Public Lecture, University of Laval, Quebec, Canada |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | Regional |
Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
Results and Impact | Wide-ranging discussions with regional academics and their teams on possible future activities and collaborations. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2016 |
Description | Public Lecture, Wilfrid Laurier University, Waterloo, Canada. |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | Regional |
Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
Results and Impact | Discussions on possible future collaborations and applications. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2016 |
Description | Public lecture, University of British Columbia, Department of Geography. |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | Regional |
Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
Results and Impact | Public Lecture in the Department of Geography, UBC, Canada. Wide-ranging discussion on Arctic climate change impacts and led to visits to relevant laboratories of groups at UBC in both Geography and Soil Sciences for discussions with faculty and postgraduate students. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2016 |
Description | Scotland-Arctic Network Series: Environmental Pollution and Biodiversity |
Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | National |
Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
Results and Impact | Presentation (by Philip Wookey) as part of an online panel debate/discussion organised by the Centre for Climate Justice at Glasgow Caledonian University https://www.gcu.ac.uk/climatejustice/ The event included a debate about how Scotland-based researchers are contributing to Arctic research, and why this is important to broader society, both in Scotland and in the Arctic, as well as globally. This is seen as the beginning of a process, and is part of a series of related events. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2021 |
URL | https://www.caledonianblogs.net/climatejustice/2021/02/02/scotlandarcticresearchnetwork/ |
Description | Stirling Science Soc Presentation - "Arctic Terrestrial Ecology - Phil's Pictorial Guide" |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | Local |
Primary Audience | Undergraduate students |
Results and Impact | Invited presentation on my research career, and what inspired it. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2019 |
Description | TEDx Presentation - The 'Arctic Amplification' of Global Warming |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | International |
Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
Results and Impact | 1,383 view on youtube |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2015 |
URL | http://tedxtalks.ted.com/video/Arctic-Amplification-of-Global |
Description | Visit to Aurora College, Inuvik, to talk to students on the "Environmental Monitor Training Program" |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | Yes |
Geographic Reach | International |
Primary Audience | Schools |
Results and Impact | The talk and demo resulted in a lively debate on global change issues in the North, and on the experiences of the students taking the class. We learned about the First Nations' views on global change, and how it affected their everyday lives. We also received several enquiries about possible work with us in the future. The course participants were mainly Inuvialuit or Gwitch'in, and ranged in age from early 20s to late 60s. We have been invited to give a community presentation at the Aurora Research Institute (ARI) one evening in 2014. This will provide us with an opportunity to share the project findings and implications with a broad spectrum of potential stakeholders. ARI will host and advertise the evening. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2013 |
URL | http://arp.arctic.ac.uk/news/2013/oct/29/news-scientists-talk-aurora-college-students-inuvi/ |