| 1. |
- Schuur, E. A. G., et al.
(författare)
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Expert assessment of vulnerability of permafrost carbon to climate change
- 2013
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Ingår i: Climatic Change. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 0165-0009 .- 1573-1480. ; 119:2, s. 359-374
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Approximately 1700 Pg of soil carbon (C) are stored in the northern circumpolar permafrost zone, more than twice as much C than in the atmosphere. The overall amount, rate, and form of C released to the atmosphere in a warmer world will influence the strength of the permafrost C feedback to climate change. We used a survey to quantify variability in the perception of the vulnerability of permafrost C to climate change. Experts were asked to provide quantitative estimates of permafrost change in response to four scenarios of warming. For the highest warming scenario (RCP 8.5), experts hypothesized that C release from permafrost zone soils could be 19-45 Pg C by 2040, 162-288 Pg C by 2100, and 381-616 Pg C by 2300 in CO2 equivalent using 100-year CH4 global warming potential (GWP). These values become 50 % larger using 20-year CH4 GWP, with a third to a half of expected climate forcing coming from CH4 even though CH4 was only 2.3 % of the expected C release. Experts projected that two-thirds of this release could be avoided under the lowest warming scenario (RCP 2.6). These results highlight the potential risk from permafrost thaw and serve to frame a hypothesis about the magnitude of this feedback to climate change. However, the level of emissions proposed here are unlikely to overshadow the impact of fossil fuel burning, which will continue to be the main source of C emissions and climate forcing.
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| 2. |
- Harden, Jennifer W., et al.
(författare)
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Field information links permafrost carbon to physical vulnerabilities of thawing
- 2012
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Ingår i: Geophysical Research Letters. - 0094-8276 .- 1944-8007. ; 39, s. L15704-
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Deep soil profiles containing permafrost (Gelisols) were characterized for organic carbon (C) and total nitrogen (N) stocks to 3 m depths. Using the Community Climate System Model (CCSM4) we calculate cumulative distributions of active layer thickness (ALT) under current and future climates. The difference in cumulative ALT distributions over time was multiplied by C and N contents of soil horizons in Gelisol suborders to calculate newly thawed C and N. Thawing ranged from 147 PgC with 10 PgN by 2050 (representative concentration pathway RCP scenario 4.5) to 436 PgC with 29 PgN by 2100 (RCP 8.5). Organic horizons that thaw are vulnerable to combustion, and all horizon types are vulnerable to shifts in hydrology and decomposition. The rates and extent of such losses are unknown and can be further constrained by linking field and modelling approaches. These changes have the potential for strong additional loading to our atmosphere, water resources, and ecosystems. Citation: Harden, J. W., et al. (2012), Field information links permafrost carbon to physical vulnerabilities of thawing, Geophys. Res. Lett., 39, L15704, doi: 10.1029/2012GL051958.
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| 3. |
- Hugelius, Gustaf, et al.
(författare)
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Estimated stocks of circumpolar permafrost carbon with quantified uncertainty ranges and identified data gaps
- 2014
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Ingår i: Biogeosciences. - : Copernicus GmbH. - 1726-4170 .- 1726-4189. ; 11:23, s. 6573-6593
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Soils and other unconsolidated deposits in the northern circumpolar permafrost region store large amounts of soil organic carbon (SOC). This SOC is potentially vulnerable to remobilization following soil warming and permafrost thaw, but SOC stock estimates were poorly constrained and quantitative error estimates were lacking. This study presents revised estimates of permafrost SOC stocks, including quantitative uncertainty estimates, in the 0-3m depth range in soils as well as for sediments deeper than 3m in deltaic deposits of major rivers and in the Yedoma region of Siberia and Alaska. Revised estimates are based on significantly larger databases compared to previous studies. Despite this there is evidence of significant remaining regional data gaps. Estimates remain particularly poorly constrained for soils in the High Arctic region and physiographic regions with thin sedimentary overburden (mountains, highlands and plateaus) as well as for deposits below 3mdepth in deltas and the Yedoma region. While some components of the revised SOC stocks are similar in magnitude to those previously reported for this region, there are substantial differences in other components, including the fraction of perennially frozen SOC. Upscaled based on regional soil maps, estimated permafrost region SOC stocks are 217 +/- 12 and 472 +/- 27 Pg for the 0-0.3 and 0-1 m soil depths, respectively (+/- 95% confidence intervals). Storage of SOC in 0-3m of soils is estimated to 1035 +/- 150 Pg. Of this, 34 +/- 16 PgC is stored in poorly developed soils of the High Arctic. Based on generalized calculations, storage of SOC below 3m of surface soils in deltaic alluvium of major Arctic rivers is estimated as 91 +/- 52 Pg. In the Yedoma region, estimated SOC stocks below 3mdepth are 181 +/- 54 Pg, of which 74 +/- 20 Pg is stored in intact Yedoma (late Pleistocene ice-and organic-rich silty sediments) with the remainder in refrozen thermokarst deposits. Total estimated SOC storage for the permafrost region is similar to 1300 Pg with an uncertainty range of similar to 1100 to 1500 Pg. Of this, similar to 500 Pg is in non-permafrost soils, seasonally thawed in the active layer or in deeper taliks, while similar to 800 Pg is perennially frozen. This represents a substantial similar to 300 Pg lowering of the estimated perennially frozen SOC stock compared to previous estimates.
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| 4. |
- McGuire, A. David, et al.
(författare)
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The carbon budget of the northern cryosphere region
- 2010
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Ingår i: Current Opinion in Environmental Sustainability. - : Elsevier BV. - 1877-3435 .- 1877-3443. ; 2:4, s. 231-236
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Forskningsöversikt (refereegranskat)abstract
- The northern cryosphere is undergoing substantial warming of permafrost and loss of sea ice. Release of stored carbon to the atmosphere in response to this change has the potential to affect the global climate system. Studies indicate that the northern cryosphere has been not only a substantial sink for atmospheric CO2 in recent decades, but also an important source of CH4 because of emissions from wetlands and lakes. Analyses suggest that the sensitivity of the carbon cycle of the region over the 21st Century is potentially large, but highly uncertain because numerous pathways of response will be affected by warming. Further research should focus on sensitive elements of the carbon cycle such as the consequences of increased fire disturbance, permafrost degradation, and sea ice loss in the northern cryosphere region.
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| 5. |
- Mishra, U., et al.
(författare)
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Empirical estimates to reduce modeling uncertainties of soil organic carbon in permafrost regions : a review of recent progress and remaining challenges
- 2013
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Ingår i: Environmental Research Letters. - : IOP Publishing. - 1748-9326. ; 8:3, s. 035020-
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The vast amount of organic carbon (OC) stored in soils of the northern circumpolar permafrost region is a potentially vulnerable component of the global carbon cycle. However, estimates of the quantity, decomposability, and combustibility of OC contained in permafrost-region soils remain highly uncertain, thereby limiting our ability to predict the release of greenhouse gases due to permafrost thawing. Substantial differences exist between empirical and modeling estimates of the quantity and distribution of permafrost-region soil OC, which contribute to large uncertainties in predictions of carbon-climate feedbacks under future warming. Here, we identify research challenges that constrain current assessments of the distribution and potential decomposability of soil OC stocks in the northern permafrost region and suggest priorities for future empirical and modeling studies to address these challenges.
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| 6. |
- Toms, Leisa-Maree L., et al.
(författare)
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Triclosan in individual human milk samples from Australia
- 2011
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Ingår i: Chemosphere. - : Elsevier BV. - 0045-6535 .- 1879-1298. ; 85:11, s. 1682-1686
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Triclosan is a chlorinated phenol ether that has been in widespread use as a broad-spectrum antibacterial agent for four decades. When compared to the limited international data available on human body burden of triclosan, results from a pooled blood study suggested that triclosan concentrations in Australia were a factor two higher than observed in Sweden. This study determined triclosan levels in individual human milk samples (n = 151) collected between 2002 and 2005 from primiparous Australian mothers. It provided the first report of population triclosan levels and individual variation in Australia and gave a measure of infant exposure via breast feeding. The distribution of triclosan concentration was positively skewed, with 7.2% of the samples below the LOQ 66% with a concentration of less than or equal to 1.0 ng g(-1) fresh weight and the remaining samples above 1 ng g(-1) reaching a maximum concentration of 19 ng g(-1) fresh weight. The mean and median triclosan concentrations were 1.3 +/- 2.7 ng g(-1) f.w. and 0.26 ng g(-1) f.w., respectively. The results of this study showed high variability in triclosan concentrations between individuals and no correlations with maternal age (p = 0.094), maternal weight (p = 0.971) or infant age at the time of sample collection (p = 0.621). A large number of samples contained low or non-quantifiable concentrations of triclosan and so, in Australia, ubiquitous background exposure due to environmental sources is low. This means that body burden can be influenced by an individual's use of triclosan containing product. Given that triclosan containing product use is continuing, it is important that monitoring in both humans and the environment is continued and that triclosan containing products are adequately labeled so that an individual can choose to avoid exposure.
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