| 1. |
- Lund, Magnus, et al.
(author)
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Characteristics of summer-time energy exchange in a high Arctic tundra heath 2000-2010
- 2014
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In: Tellus. Series B: Chemical and Physical Meteorology. - : Stockholm University Press. - 0280-6509 .- 1600-0889. ; 66
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Global warming will bring about changes in surface energy balance of Arctic ecosystems, which will have implications for ecosystem structure and functioning, as well as for climate system feedback mechanisms. In this study, we present a unique, long-term (2000-2010) record of summer-time energy balance components (net radiation, R-n; sensible heat flux, H; latent heat flux, LE; and soil heat flux, G) from a high Arctic tundra heath in Zackenberg, Northeast Greenland. This area has been subjected to strong summer-time warming with increasing active layer depths (ALD) during the last decades. We observe high energy partitioning into H, low partitioning into LE and high Bowen ratio (beta = H/LE) compared with other Arctic sites, associated with local climatic conditions dominated by onshore winds, slender vegetation with low transpiration activity and relatively dry soils. Surface saturation vapour pressure deficit (D-s) was found to be an important variable controlling within-year surface energy partitioning. Throughout the study period, we observe increasing H/R-n and LE/R-n and decreasing G/R-n and beta, related to increasing ALD and decreasing soil wetness. Thus, changes in summer-time surface energy balance partitioning in Arctic ecosystems may be of importance for the climate system.
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| 2. |
- Lund, Magnus, et al.
(author)
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Trends in CO2 exchange in a high Arctic tundra heath, 2000-2010
- 2012
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In: Journal of Geophysical Research. - 2156-2202. ; 117
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- We have measured the land-atmosphere CO2 exchange using the eddy covariance technique in a high Arctic tundra heath in northeast Greenland (Zackenberg). On the basis of 11 years of measurements (2000-2010), it was found that snow cover dynamics was important for the CO2 exchange. The start of CO2 uptake period correlated significantly with timing of snowmelt. Furthermore, for years with deep and long-lasting snowpacks, the following springs showed increased CO2 emission rates. In the first part of the study period, there was an increase of approximately 8 g C m(-2) yr(-1) in both accumulated gross primary production (GPP) and CO2 sink strength during summer. However, in the last few years, there were no significant changes in GPP, whereas ecosystem respiration (R-eco) increased (8.5 g C m(-2) yr(-1)) and ecosystem CO2 sink strength weakened (-4.1 g C m(-2) yr(-1)). It was found that temperature and temperature-related variables (maximum thaw depth and growing degree days) controlled the interannual variation in CO2 exchange. However, while R-eco showed a steady increase with temperature (5.8 g C m(-2) degrees C-1), the initial increase in GPP with temperature leveled off at the high end of observed temperature range. This suggests that future increases in temperature will weaken the ecosystem CO2 sink strength or even turn it into a CO2 source, depending on possible changes in vegetation structure and functioning as a response to a changing climate. If this trend is applicable also to other Arctic ecosystems, it will have implications for our current understanding of Arctic ecosystems dynamics.
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| 3. |
- Riget, Frank, et al.
(author)
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Mercury (Hg) Transport in a High Arctic River in Northeast Greenland
- 2011
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In: Water, Air and Soil Pollution. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 1573-2932 .- 0049-6979. ; 222:1-4, s. 233-242
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- In a warming climate, mercury (Hg) pathways in the Arctic can be expected to be affected. The Hg transport from the high arctic Zackenberg River Basin was assessed in 2009 in order to describe and estimate the mercury transported from land to the marine environment. A total of 95 water samples were acquired and filtered (0.4 mu m pore size), and Hg concentrations were determined in both the filtered water and in the sediment. A range of other elements were also measured in the water samples. Hg concentrations in the filtered water were in general highest in the beginning of the season when the water came mainly from melted snow. THg concentrations in the sediment were in general relatively constant or slightly decreasing until mid-August, where after the concentrations increased. A principal component analysis separated the samples into spring, summer and autumn samples indicating seasonal characteristics of the patterns of element concentrations. The total amount of Hg in the sediment transported was estimated to 2.6 kg. Approximately 60% of the sediment-transported Hg occurred during a 24-h flood in the beginning of August caused by a glacial lake outburst flood. The total amount of transported dissolved Hg was estimated to 46 g, and 13% of this transport occurred during the 24-h flood. If it is assumed that the Hg transport by Zackenberg River is representative for the general glacial rivers in East Greenland, the total Hg transport into the North Atlantic from Greenland alone is approximately 4.6 tons year(-1) with an estimated annual freshwater discharge of similar to 440 km(3).
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| 4. |
- Tagesson, Torbern, et al.
(author)
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High-resolution satellite data reveal an increase in peak growing season gross primary production in a high-Arctic wet tundra ecosystem 1992-2008
- 2012
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In: International Journal of Applied Earth Observation and Geoinformation. - : Elsevier BV. - 1569-8432. ; 18, s. 407-416
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Arctic ecosystems play a key role in the terrestrial carbon cycle. Our aim was to combine satellite-based normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) with field measurements of CO2 fluxes to investigate changes in gross primary production (GPP) for the peak growing seasons 1992-2008 in Rylekaerene, a wet tundra ecosystem in the Zackenberg valley, north-eastern Greenland. A method to incorporate controls on GPP through satellite data is the light use efficiency (LUE) model, here expressed as GPP = epsilon(peak) x PAR(in) x FAPAR(green_peak); where epsilon(peak) was peak growing season light use efficiency of the vegetation, PARin was incoming photosynthetically active radiation, and FAPAR(green_peak) was peak growing season fraction of PAR absorbed by the green vegetation. The Speak was measured for seven different high-Arctic plant communities in the field, and it was on average 1.63 g CO2 MJ(-1). We found a significant linear relationship between FAPARgreen_peak measured in the field and satellite-based NDVI. The linear regression was applied to peak growing season NDVI 1992-2008 and derived FAPAR(green_peak) was entered into the LUE-model. It was shown that when several empirical models are combined, propagation errors are introduced, which results in considerable model uncertainties. The LUE-model was evaluated against field-measured GPP and the model captured field-measured GPP well (RMSE was 192 mg CO2 m(-2) h(-1)). The model showed an increase in peak growing season GPP of 42 mg CO2 m(-2) h(-1) y(-1) in Rylekaerene 1992-2008. There was also a strong increase in air temperature (0.15 degrees C y(-1)), indicating that the GPP trend may have been climate driven. (C) 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
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| 5. |
- Tagesson, Torbern, et al.
(author)
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Land-atmosphere exchange of methane from soil thawing to soil freezing in a high-Arctic wet tundra ecosystem
- 2012
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In: Global Change Biology. - : Wiley. - 1354-1013. ; 18:6, s. 1928-1940
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- The land-atmosphere exchange of methane (CH4) and carbon dioxide (CO2) in a high-Arctic wet tundra ecosystem (Rylek ae rene) in Zackenberg, north-eastern Greenland, was studied over the full growing season and until early winter in 2008 and from before snow melt until early winter in 2009. The eddy covariance technique was used to estimate CO2 fluxes and a combination of the gradient and eddy covariance methods was used to estimate CH4 fluxes. Small CH4 bursts were observed during spring thawing 2009, but these existed during short periods and would not have any significant effect on the annual budget. Growing season CH4 fluxes were well correlated with soil temperature, gross primary production, and active layer thickness. The CH4 fluxes remained low during the entire autumn, and until early winter. No increase in CH4 fluxes were seen as the soil started to freeze. However, in autumn 2008 there were two CH4 burst events that were highly correlated with atmospheric turbulence. They were likely associated with the release of stored CH4 from soil and vegetation cavities. Over the measurement period, 7.6 and 6.5g C m(-2) was emitted as CH4 in 2008 and in 2009, respectively. Rylek ae rene acted as a C source during the warmer and wetter measurement period 2008, whereas it was a C sink for the colder and drier period of 2009. Wet tundra ecosystems, such as Rylek ae rene may thus play a more significant role for the climate in the future, as temperature and precipitation are predicted to increase in the high-Arctic.
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| 6. |
- Tagesson, Torbern, et al.
(author)
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Modelling of growing season methane fluxes in a high-Arctic wet tundra ecosystem 1997-2010 using in situ and high-resolution satellite data
- 2013
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In: Tellus. Series B: Chemical and Physical Meteorology. - : Stockholm University Press. - 0280-6509 .- 1600-0889. ; 65
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Methane (CH4) fluxes 1997-2010 were studied by combining remotely sensed normalised difference water index (NDWI) with in situ CH4 fluxes from Rylekaerene, a high-Arctic wet tundra ecosystem in the Zackenberg valley, north-eastern Greenland. In situ CH4 fluxes were measured using the closed-chamber technique. Regression models between in situ CH4 fluxes and environmental variables [soil temperature (T-soil), water table depth (WtD) and active layer (AL) thickness] were established for different temporal and spatial scales. The relationship between in situ WtD and remotely sensed NDWI was also studied. The regression models were combined and evaluated against in situ CH4 fluxes. The models including NDWI as the input data performed on average slightly better [root mean square error (RMSE) = 1.56] than the models without NDWI (RMSE = 1.67), and they were better in reproducing CH4 flux variability. The CH4 flux model that performed the best included exponential relationships against temporal variation in T-soil and AL, an exponential relationship against spatial variation in WtD and a linear relationship between WtD and remotely sensed NDWI (RMSE = 1.50). There were no trends in modelled CH4 flux budgets between 1997 and 2010. Hence, during this period there were no trends in the soil temperature at 10 cm depth and NDWI.
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