• Energy Research

Lateral carbon transport through the land-to-ocean-aquatic-continuum (LOAC) represents a key component of the global carbon cycle. This LOAC involves complex processes, many of which are prone to anthropogenic perturbation, yet the influence of natural and human-induced drivers remains poorly constrained. This study examines the radiocarbon ( 14 C) signatures of particulate and dissolved organic carbon (POC, DOC) and dissolved inorganic carbon (DIC) transported by Swiss rivers to assess controls on sources and cycling of carbon within their watersheds. Twenty-one rivers were selected and sampled during high-flow conditions in summer 2021, a year of exceptionally high rainfall. Δ 14 C values of POC range from −446‰ to −158‰, while corresponding ranges of Δ 14 C values for DOC and DIC are −377‰ to −43‰ and −301‰ to −40‰, respectively, indicating the prevalence of pre-aged carbon. Region-specific agricultural practices seem to have an influential effect on all three carbon phases in rivers draining the Swiss Plateau. Based on Multivariate Regression Analysis, mean basin elevation correlated negatively with Δ 14 C values of all three carbon phases. These contrasts between alpine terrain and the lowlands reflect the importance of overriding ecoregional controls on riverine carbon dynamics within Switzerland, despite high spatial variability in catchment properties. This article is part of the Theo Murphy meeting issue 'Radiocarbon in the Anthropocene'.

AbstractAtmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2) and reactive nitrogen (N) concentrations have been increasing due to human activities and impact the global carbon (C) cycle by affecting plant photosynthesis and decomposition processes in soil. Large amounts of C are stored in plants and soils, but the mechanisms behind the stabilization of plant‐ and microbial‐derived organic matter (OM) in soils are still under debate and it is not clear how N deposition affects soil OM dynamics. Here, we studied the effects of 4 years of elevated (13C‐depleted) CO2 and N deposition in forest ecosystems established in open‐top chambers on composition and turnover of fatty acids (FAs) in plants and soils. FAs served as biomarkers for plant‐ and microbial‐derived OM in soil density fractions. We analyzed above‐ and belowground plant biomass of beech and spruce trees as well as soil density fractions for the total organic C and FA molecular and isotope (δ13C) composition. FAs did not accumulate relative to total organic C in fine mineral fractions, showing that FAs are not effectively stabilized by association with soil minerals. The δ13C values of FAs in plant biomass increased under high N deposition. However, the N effect was only apparent under elevated CO2 suggesting a N limitation of the system. In soil fractions, only isotope compositions of short‐chain FAs (C16+18) were affected. Fractions of ‘new’ (experimental‐derived) FAs were calculated using isotope depletion in elevated CO2 plots and decreased from free light to fine mineral fractions. ‘New’ FAs were higher in short‐chain compared to long‐chain FAs (C20−30), indicating a faster turnover of short‐chain compared to long‐chain FAs. Increased N deposition did not significantly affect the quantity of ‘new’ FAs in soil fractions, but showed a tendency of increased amounts of ‘old’ (pre‐experimental) C suggesting that decomposition of ‘old’ C is retarded by high N inputs.

The Anthropocene is defined by marked acceleration in human-induced perturbations to the Earth system. Anthropogenic emissions of CO 2 and other greenhouse gases to the atmosphere and attendant changes to the global carbon cycle are among the most profound and pervasive of these perturbations. Determining the magnitude, nature and pace of these carbon cycle changes is crucial for understanding the future climate that ecosystems and humanity will experience and need to respond to. This special issue illustrates the value of radiocarbon as a tool to shed important light on the nature, magnitude and pace of carbon cycle change. This article is part of the Theo Murphy meeting issue 'Radiocarbon in the Anthropocene'.

Pleistocene Yedoma permafrost contains nearly a third of all organic matter (OM) stored in circum-arctic permafrost and is characterized by the presence of massive ice wedges. Due to its rapid formation by sediment accumulation and subsequent frozen storage, Yedoma OM is relatively well preserved and highly biologically available (biolabile) upon thaw. A better understanding of the processes regulating Yedoma degradation is important to improve estimates of the response and magnitude of permafrost carbon feedbacks to climate warming. In this study, we examine the composition of ice wedges and the influence of ice wedge thaw on the biolability of Yedoma OM. Incubation assays were used to assess OM biolability, fluorescence spectroscopy to characterize the OM composition, and potential enzyme activity rates to examine the controls and regulation of OM degradation. We show that increasing amounts of ice wedge melt water in Yedoma-leached incubations enhanced the loss of dissolved OM over time. This may be attributed to the presence of low-molecular weight compounds and low initial phenolic content in the OM of ice wedges, providing a readily available substrate that promotes the degradation of Yedoma OC. The physical vulnerability of ice wedges upon thaw (causing irreversible collapse), combined with the composition of ice wedge-engrained OM (co-metabolizing old OM), underlines the particularly strong potential of Yedoma to generate a positive feedback to climate warming relative to other forms of non-ice wedge permafrost. Environmental Research Letters, 8 (3) ISSN:1748-9326 ISSN:1748-9318

Arctic rivers provide an integrated signature of the changing landscape and transmit signals of change to the ocean. Here, we use a decade of particulate organic matter (POM) compositional data to deconvolute multiple allochthonous and autochthonous pan-Arctic and watershed-specific sources. Constraints from carbon-to-nitrogen ratios (C:N), δ 13 C, and Δ 14 C signatures reveal a large, hitherto overlooked contribution from aquatic biomass. Separation in Δ 14 C age is enhanced by splitting soil sources into shallow and deep pools (mean ± SD: −228 ± 211 vs. −492 ± 173‰) rather than traditional active layer and permafrost pools (−300 ± 236 vs. −441 ± 215‰) that do not represent permafrost-free Arctic regions. We estimate that 39 to 60% (5 to 95% credible interval) of the annual pan-Arctic POM flux (averaging 4,391 Gg/y particulate organic carbon from 2012 to 2019) comes from aquatic biomass. The remainder is sourced from yedoma, deep soils, shallow soils, petrogenic inputs, and fresh terrestrial production. Climate change-induced warming and increasing CO 2 concentrations may enhance both soil destabilization and Arctic river aquatic biomass production, increasing fluxes of POM to the ocean. Younger, autochthonous, and older soil-derived POM likely have different destinies (preferential microbial uptake and processing vs. significant sediment burial, respectively). A small (~7%) increase in aquatic biomass POM flux with warming would be equivalent to a ~30% increase in deep soil POM flux. There is a clear need to better quantify how the balance of endmember fluxes may shift with different ramifications for different endmembers and how this will impact the Arctic system.

Significance The Terminal Classic decline of the Maya civilization represents a key example of ancient societal collapse that may have been caused by climate change, but there are inconsistencies between paleoclimate and archaeological evidence regarding the spatial distribution of droughts and sociopolitical disintegration. We conducted a new analysis of regional drought intensity that shows drought was most severe in the region with the strongest societal collapse. We also found that an earlier drought interval coincided with agricultural intensification, suggesting that the ancient Maya adapted to previous episodes of climate drying, but could not cope with the more extreme droughts of the Terminal Classic.