Articles | Volume 29, issue 19
https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-29-4871-2025
© Author(s) 2025. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-29-4871-2025
© Author(s) 2025. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Research article
| 
01 Oct 2025
Research article |
| 01 Oct 2025
| 01 Oct 2025
Multi-scale water balance analysis of a thawing boreal peatland complex near the southern permafrost limit in northwestern Canada
Alexandre Lhosmot
CORRESPONDING AUTHOR
Département de géographie, Université de Montréal, Montréal, QC, Canada
Gabriel Hould Gosselin
Département de géographie, Université de Montréal, Montréal, QC, Canada
Department of Geography and Environmental Sciences, Northumbria University, Newcastle upon Tyne, UK
Manuel Helbig
Département de géographie, Université de Montréal, Montréal, QC, Canada
Department of Physics & Atmospheric Science, Dalhousie University, Halifax, NS, Canada
Julien Fouché
Département de géographie, Université de Montréal, Montréal, QC, Canada
LISAH, Université de Montpellier, INRAE, IRD, Institut Agro, AgroParisTech, Montpellier, France
Youngryel Ryu
Department of Landscape Architecture and Rural Systems Engineering, Seoul National University, Seoul, South Korea
Matteo Detto
Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ, USA
Ryan Connon
Environment and Climate Change, Government of the Northwest Territories, Yellowknife, NT, Canada
William Quinton
Cold Regions Research Centre, Wilfrid Laurier University, Waterloo, ON, Canada
Tim Moore
Department of Geography, McGill University, Montréal, QC, Canada
Oliver Sonnentag
CORRESPONDING AUTHOR
Département de géographie, Université de Montréal, Montréal, QC, Canada
Department of Geography and Environmental Studies, Wilfrid Laurier University, Waterloo, ON, Canada
Related authors
No articles found.
Tiia Määttä, Ankur Desai, Masahito Ueyama, Rodrigo Vargas, Eric J. Ward, Zhen Zhang, Gil Bohrer, Kyle Delwiche, Etienne Fluet-Chouinard, Järvi Järveoja, Sara Knox, Lulie Melling, Mats B. Nilsson, Matthias Peichl, Angela Che Ing Tang, Eeva-Stiina Tuittila, Jinsong Wang, Sheel Bansal, Sarah Feron, Manuel Helbig, Aino Korrensalo, Ken W. Krauss, Gavin McNicol, Shuli Niu, Zutao Ouyang, Kathleen Savage, Oliver Sonnentag, Robert Jackson, and Avni Malhotra
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2025-5023, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2025-5023, 2025
This preprint is open for discussion and under review for Biogeosciences (BG).
Short summary
Short summary
We compared ecosystem and plot-scale methane fluxes across wetland and upland sites. Ecosystem-scale fluxes were higher than at plot scale, but differences were small. Vapor pressure deficit, atmospheric pressure, turbulence, and wind direction affected the differences. Both scales could be combined for improved methane flux estimates at coarser temporal scales.
Joséphine Hazera, David Sebag, Isabelle Kowalewski, Herman Ravelojaona, Eric Verrecchia, Gergely Jakab, Dóra Zacháry, Florian Schneider, Luca Trombino, Raphaël J. Manlay, Julien Fouché, and Tiphaine Chevallier
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2025-4991, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2025-4991, 2025
This preprint is open for discussion and under review for Biogeosciences (BG).
Short summary
Short summary
Adjusting Rock-Eval® cycle is needed to avoid the need for post-hoc corrections to estimate soil organic (SOC) and inorganic (SIC) carbon. PYRO520 is a cycle with a pyrolysis ending at 520°C instead of 650°C to avoid SIC decomposition while preserving the SOC characterization during pyrolysis. This cycle corrects the misallocation of the end-of-pyrolysis signals and thus repeatably and accurately estimates SOC and SIC contents without using corrections, while preserving the SOC characterization.
Anna-Maria Virkkala, Isabel Wargowsky, Judith Vogt, McKenzie A. Kuhn, Simran Madaan, Richard O'Keefe, Tiffany Windholz, Kyle A. Arndt, Brendan M. Rogers, Jennifer D. Watts, Kelcy Kent, Mathias Göckede, David Olefeldt, Gerard Rocher-Ros, Edward A. G. Schuur, David Bastviken, Kristoffer Aalstad, Kelly Aho, Joonatan Ala-Könni, Haley Alcock, Inge Althuizen, Christopher D. Arp, Jun Asanuma, Katrin Attermeyer, Mika Aurela, Sivakiruthika Balathandayuthabani, Alan Barr, Maialen Barret, Ochirbat Batkhishig, Christina Biasi, Mats P. Björkman, Andrew Black, Elena Blanc-Betes, Pascal Bodmer, Julia Boike, Abdullah Bolek, Frédéric Bouchard, Ingeborg Bussmann, Lea Cabrol, Eleonora Canfora, Sean Carey, Karel Castro-Morales, Namyi Chae, Andres Christen, Torben R. Christensen, Casper T. Christiansen, Housen Chu, Graham Clark, Francois Clayer, Patrick Crill, Christopher Cunada, Scott J. Davidson, Joshua F. Dean, Sigrid Dengel, Matteo Detto, Catherine Dieleman, Florent Domine, Egor Dyukarev, Colin Edgar, Bo Elberling, Craig A. Emmerton, Eugenie Euskirchen, Grant Falvo, Thomas Friborg, Michelle Garneau, Mariasilvia Giamberini, Mikhail V. Glagolev, Miquel A. Gonzalez-Meler, Gustaf Granath, Jón Guðmundsson, Konsta Happonen, Yoshinobu Harazono, Lorna Harris, Josh Hashemi, Nicholas Hasson, Janna Heerah, Liam Heffernan, Manuel Helbig, Warren Helgason, Michal Heliasz, Greg Henry, Geert Hensgens, Tetsuya Hiyama, Macall Hock, David Holl, Beth Holmes, Jutta Holst, Thomas Holst, Gabriel Hould-Gosselin, Elyn Humphreys, Jacqueline Hung, Jussi Huotari, Hiroki Ikawa, Danil V. Ilyasov, Mamoru Ishikawa, Go Iwahana, Hiroki Iwata, Marcin Antoni Jackowicz-Korczynski, Joachim Jansen, Järvi Järveoja, Vincent E. J. Jassey, Rasmus Jensen, Katharina Jentzsch, Robert G. Jespersen, Carl-Fredrik Johannesson, Chersity P. Jones, Anders Jonsson, Ji Young Jung, Sari Juutinen, Evan Kane, Jan Karlsson, Sergey Karsanaev, Kuno Kasak, Julia Kelly, Kasha Kempton, Marcus Klaus, George W. Kling, Natacha Kljun, Jacqueline Knutson, Hideki Kobayashi, John Kochendorfer, Kukka-Maaria Kohonen, Pasi Kolari, Mika Korkiakoski, Aino Korrensalo, Pirkko Kortelainen, Egle Koster, Kajar Koster, Ayumi Kotani, Praveena Krishnan, Juliya Kurbatova, Lars Kutzbach, Min Jung Kwon, Ethan D. Kyzivat, Jessica Lagroix, Theodore Langhorst, Elena Lapshina, Tuula Larmola, Klaus S. Larsen, Isabelle Laurion, Justin Ledman, Hanna Lee, A. Joshua Leffler, Lance Lesack, Anders Lindroth, David Lipson, Annalea Lohila, Efrén López-Blanco, Vincent L. St. Louis, Erik Lundin, Misha Luoto, Takashi Machimura, Marta Magnani, Avni Malhotra, Marja Maljanen, Ivan Mammarella, Elisa Männistö, Luca Belelli Marchesini, Phil Marsh, Pertti J. Martkainen, Maija E. Marushchak, Mikhail Mastepanov, Alex Mavrovic, Trofim Maximov, Christina Minions, Marco Montemayor, Tomoaki Morishita, Patrick Murphy, Daniel F. Nadeau, Erin Nicholls, Mats B. Nilsson, Anastasia Niyazova, Jenni Nordén, Koffi Dodji Noumonvi, Hannu Nykanen, Walter Oechel, Anne Ojala, Tomohiro Okadera, Sujan Pal, Alexey V. Panov, Tim Papakyriakou, Dario Papale, Sang-Jong Park, Frans-Jan W. Parmentier, Gilberto Pastorello, Mike Peacock, Matthias Peichl, Roman Petrov, Kyra St. Pierre, Norbert Pirk, Jessica Plein, Vilmantas Preskienis, Anatoly Prokushkin, Jukka Pumpanen, Hilary A. Rains, Niklas Rakos, Aleski Räsänen, Helena Rautakoski, Riika Rinnan, Janne Rinne, Adrian Rocha, Nigel Roulet, Alexandre Roy, Anna Rutgersson, Aleksandr F. Sabrekov, Torsten Sachs, Erik Sahlée, Alejandro Salazar, Henrique Oliveira Sawakuchi, Christopher Schulze, Roger Seco, Armando Sepulveda-Jauregui, Svetlana Serikova, Abbey Serrone, Hanna M. Silvennoinen, Sofie Sjogersten, June Skeeter, Jo Snöälv, Sebastian Sobek, Oliver Sonnentag, Emily H. Stanley, Maria Strack, Lena Strom, Patrick Sullivan, Ryan Sullivan, Anna Sytiuk, Torbern Tagesson, Pierre Taillardat, Julie Talbot, Suzanne E. Tank, Mario Tenuta, Irina Terenteva, Frederic Thalasso, Antoine Thiboult, Halldor Thorgeirsson, Fenix Garcia Tigreros, Margaret Torn, Amy Townsend-Small, Claire Treat, Alain Tremblay, Carlo Trotta, Eeva-Stiina Tuittila, Merritt Turetsky, Masahito Ueyama, Muhammad Umair, Aki Vähä, Lona van Delden, Maarten van Hardenbroek, Andrej Varlagin, Ruth K. Varner, Elena Veretennikova, Timo Vesala, Tarmo Virtanen, Carolina Voigt, Jorien E. Vonk, Robert Wagner, Katey Walter Anthony, Qinxue Wang, Masataka Watanabe, Hailey Webb, Jeffrey M. Welker, Andreas Westergaard-Nielsen, Sebastian Westermann, Jeffrey R. White, Christian Wille, Scott N. Williamson, Scott Zolkos, Donatella Zona, and Susan M. Natali
Earth Syst. Sci. Data Discuss., https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-2025-585, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-2025-585, 2025
Preprint under review for ESSD
Short summary
Short summary
This dataset includes monthly measurements of carbon dioxide and methane exchange between land, water, and the atmosphere from over 1,000 sites in Arctic and boreal regions. It combines measurements from a variety of ecosystems, including wetlands, forests, tundra, lakes, and rivers, gathered by over 260 researchers from 1984–2024. This dataset can be used to improve and reduce uncertainty in carbon budgets in order to strengthen our understanding of climate feedbacks in a warming world.
Kseniia Ivanova, Anna-Maria Virkkala, Victor Brovkin, Tobias Stacke, Barbara Widhalm, Annett Bartsch, Carolina Voigt, Oliver Sonnentag, and Mathias Göckede
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2025-3968, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2025-3968, 2025
Short summary
Short summary
We measured over 13,000 methane fluxes at a site in the Canadian Arctic and linked them with drone and free satellite images. We tested four machine-learning methods and two map scales. Metre-scale maps captured small wet and dry features that strongly affect methane release, while coarser maps blurred them. Different models shifted the monthly methane estimate. This helps choose the right data and tools to map methane, design monitoring networks, and check climate models.
Maxime Thomas, Julien Fouché, Hugues Titeux, Charlotte Morelle, Nathan Bemelmans, Melissa J. Lafrenière, Joanne K. Heslop, and Sophie Opfergelt
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2025-3428, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2025-3428, 2025
Short summary
Short summary
This study examines organic carbon (OC)–mineral interactions in permafrost soils undergoing thermokarst degradation in Cape Bounty (Melville Island, Canada). Chemically stabilized OC accounts for 13 ± 5 % as organo-metallic complexes and 6 ± 2 % as associations with iron oxides. Including physical protection, up to 64 ± 10 % of OC is mineral-protected. Deeper layers show a sharp decline in mineral-bound OC, suggesting increased vulnerability to degradation when exposed by deep thaw features.
Georgina J. Woolley, Nick Rutter, Leanne Wake, Vincent Vionnet, Chris Derksen, Julien Meloche, Benoit Montpetit, Nicolas R. Leroux, Richard Essery, Gabriel Hould Gosselin, and Philip Marsh
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2025-1498, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2025-1498, 2025
Short summary
Short summary
The impact of uncertainties in the simulation of snow density and SSA by the snow model Crocus (embedded within the Soil, Vegetation and Snow version 2 land surface model) on the simulation of snow backscatter (13.5 GHz) using the Snow Microwave Radiative Transfer model were quantified. The simulation of SSA was found to be a key model uncertainty. Underestimated SSA values lead to high errors in the simulation of snow backscatter, reduced by implementing a minimum SSA value (8.7 m2 kg-1).
Eunji Byun, Fereidoun Rezanezhad, Stephanie Slowinski, Christina Lam, Saraswati Bhusal, Stephanie Wright, William L. Quinton, Kara L. Webster, and Philippe Van Cappellen
SOIL, 11, 309–321, https://doi.org/10.5194/soil-11-309-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/soil-11-309-2025, 2025
Short summary
Short summary
To investigate how added nutrient nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) affect subarctic peatlands, we sampled peat soils from bog and fen type peatlands in the Northwest Territories, Canada, and measured CO2 and CH4 production rates by means of laboratory incubations. Our short-term experiments show that changes in nutrient concentrations in soil water can significantly affect microbial carbon cycling, suggesting the necessity of additional considerations of wildfire and permafrost thaw impacts on peatland carbon storage.
Julien Arsenault, Julie Talbot, Tim R. Moore, Klaus-Holger Knorr, Henning Teickner, and Jean-François Lapierre
Biogeosciences, 21, 3491–3507, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-21-3491-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-21-3491-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
Peatlands are among the largest carbon (C) sinks on the planet. However, peatland features such as open-water pools emit more C than they accumulate because of higher decomposition than production. With this study, we show that the rates of decomposition vary among pools and are mostly driven by the environmental conditions in pools rather than by the nature of the material being decomposed. This means that changes in pool number or size may modify the capacity of peatlands to accumulate C.
Victoria R. Dutch, Nick Rutter, Leanne Wake, Oliver Sonnentag, Gabriel Hould Gosselin, Melody Sandells, Chris Derksen, Branden Walker, Gesa Meyer, Richard Essery, Richard Kelly, Phillip Marsh, Julia Boike, and Matteo Detto
Biogeosciences, 21, 825–841, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-21-825-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-21-825-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
We undertake a sensitivity study of three different parameters on the simulation of net ecosystem exchange (NEE) during the snow-covered non-growing season at an Arctic tundra site. Simulations are compared to eddy covariance measurements, with near-zero NEE simulated despite observed CO2 release. We then consider how to parameterise the model better in Arctic tundra environments on both sub-seasonal timescales and cumulatively throughout the snow-covered non-growing season.
Bo Qu, Alexandre Roy, Joe R. Melton, Jennifer L. Baltzer, Youngryel Ryu, Matteo Detto, and Oliver Sonnentag
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2023-1167, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2023-1167, 2023
Preprint archived
Short summary
Short summary
Accurately simulating photosynthesis and evapotranspiration challenges terrestrial biosphere models across North America’s boreal biome, in part due to uncertain representation of the maximum rate of photosynthetic carboxylation (Vcmax). This study used forest stand scale observations in an optimization framework to improve Vcmax values for representative vegetation types. Several stand characteristics well explained spatial Vcmax variability and were useful to improve boreal forest modelling.
Hongxing He, Tim Moore, Elyn R. Humphreys, Peter M. Lafleur, and Nigel T. Roulet
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 27, 213–227, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-27-213-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-27-213-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
We applied CoupModel to quantify the impacts of natural and human disturbances to adjacent water bodies in regulating net CO2 uptake of northern peatlands. We found that 1 m drops of the water level at the beaver pond lower the peatland water table depth 250 m away by 0.15 m and reduce the peatland net CO2 uptake by 120 g C m-2 yr-1. Therefore, although bogs are ombrotrophic rainfed systems, the boundary hydrological conditions play an important role in regulating water storage and CO2 uptake.
Victoria R. Dutch, Nick Rutter, Leanne Wake, Melody Sandells, Chris Derksen, Branden Walker, Gabriel Hould Gosselin, Oliver Sonnentag, Richard Essery, Richard Kelly, Phillip Marsh, Joshua King, and Julia Boike
The Cryosphere, 16, 4201–4222, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-16-4201-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-16-4201-2022, 2022
Short summary
Short summary
Measurements of the properties of the snow and soil were compared to simulations of the Community Land Model to see how well the model represents snow insulation. Simulations underestimated snow thermal conductivity and wintertime soil temperatures. We test two approaches to reduce the transfer of heat through the snowpack and bring simulated soil temperatures closer to measurements, with an alternative parameterisation of snow thermal conductivity being more appropriate.
Lutz Beckebanze, Benjamin R. K. Runkle, Josefine Walz, Christian Wille, David Holl, Manuel Helbig, Julia Boike, Torsten Sachs, and Lars Kutzbach
Biogeosciences, 19, 3863–3876, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-19-3863-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-19-3863-2022, 2022
Short summary
Short summary
In this study, we present observations of lateral and vertical carbon fluxes from a permafrost-affected study site in the Russian Arctic. From this dataset we estimate the net ecosystem carbon balance for this study site. We show that lateral carbon export has a low impact on the net ecosystem carbon balance during the complete study period (3 months). Nevertheless, our results also show that lateral carbon export can exceed vertical carbon uptake at the beginning of the growing season.
Tracy E. Rankin, Nigel T. Roulet, and Tim R. Moore
Biogeosciences, 19, 3285–3303, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-19-3285-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-19-3285-2022, 2022
Short summary
Short summary
Peatland respiration is made up of plant and peat sources. How to separate these sources is not well known as peat respiration is not straightforward and is more influenced by vegetation dynamics than previously thought. Results of plot level measurements from shrubs and sparse grasses in a woody bog show that plants' respiration response to changes in climate is related to their different root structures, implying a difference in the mechanisms by which they obtain water resources.
Dong-Gill Kim, Ben Bond-Lamberty, Youngryel Ryu, Bumsuk Seo, and Dario Papale
Biogeosciences, 19, 1435–1450, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-19-1435-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-19-1435-2022, 2022
Short summary
Short summary
As carbon (C) and greenhouse gas (GHG) research has adopted appropriate technology and approach (AT&A), low-cost instruments, open-source software, and participatory research and their results were well accepted by scientific communities. In terms of cost, feasibility, and performance, the integration of low-cost and low-technology, participatory and networking-based research approaches can be AT&A for enhancing C and GHG research in developing countries.
Anna-Maria Virkkala, Susan M. Natali, Brendan M. Rogers, Jennifer D. Watts, Kathleen Savage, Sara June Connon, Marguerite Mauritz, Edward A. G. Schuur, Darcy Peter, Christina Minions, Julia Nojeim, Roisin Commane, Craig A. Emmerton, Mathias Goeckede, Manuel Helbig, David Holl, Hiroki Iwata, Hideki Kobayashi, Pasi Kolari, Efrén López-Blanco, Maija E. Marushchak, Mikhail Mastepanov, Lutz Merbold, Frans-Jan W. Parmentier, Matthias Peichl, Torsten Sachs, Oliver Sonnentag, Masahito Ueyama, Carolina Voigt, Mika Aurela, Julia Boike, Gerardo Celis, Namyi Chae, Torben R. Christensen, M. Syndonia Bret-Harte, Sigrid Dengel, Han Dolman, Colin W. Edgar, Bo Elberling, Eugenie Euskirchen, Achim Grelle, Juha Hatakka, Elyn Humphreys, Järvi Järveoja, Ayumi Kotani, Lars Kutzbach, Tuomas Laurila, Annalea Lohila, Ivan Mammarella, Yojiro Matsuura, Gesa Meyer, Mats B. Nilsson, Steven F. Oberbauer, Sang-Jong Park, Roman Petrov, Anatoly S. Prokushkin, Christopher Schulze, Vincent L. St. Louis, Eeva-Stiina Tuittila, Juha-Pekka Tuovinen, William Quinton, Andrej Varlagin, Donatella Zona, and Viacheslav I. Zyryanov
Earth Syst. Sci. Data, 14, 179–208, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-14-179-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-14-179-2022, 2022
Short summary
Short summary
The effects of climate warming on carbon cycling across the Arctic–boreal zone (ABZ) remain poorly understood due to the relatively limited distribution of ABZ flux sites. Fortunately, this flux network is constantly increasing, but new measurements are published in various platforms, making it challenging to understand the ABZ carbon cycle as a whole. Here, we compiled a new database of Arctic–boreal CO2 fluxes to help facilitate large-scale assessments of the ABZ carbon cycle.
Trina Merrick, Stephanie Pau, Matteo Detto, Eben N. Broadbent, Stephanie A. Bohlman, Christopher J. Still, and Angelica M. Almeyda Zambrano
Biogeosciences, 18, 6077–6091, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-18-6077-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-18-6077-2021, 2021
Short summary
Short summary
Remote sensing measurements of forest structure promise to improve monitoring of tropical forest health. We investigated drone-based vegetation measurements' abilities to capture different structural and functional elements of a tropical forest. We found that emerging vegetation indices captured greater variability than traditional indices and one new index trends with daily change in carbon flux. These new tools can help improve understanding of tropical forest structure and function.
David Olefeldt, Mikael Hovemyr, McKenzie A. Kuhn, David Bastviken, Theodore J. Bohn, John Connolly, Patrick Crill, Eugénie S. Euskirchen, Sarah A. Finkelstein, Hélène Genet, Guido Grosse, Lorna I. Harris, Liam Heffernan, Manuel Helbig, Gustaf Hugelius, Ryan Hutchins, Sari Juutinen, Mark J. Lara, Avni Malhotra, Kristen Manies, A. David McGuire, Susan M. Natali, Jonathan A. O'Donnell, Frans-Jan W. Parmentier, Aleksi Räsänen, Christina Schädel, Oliver Sonnentag, Maria Strack, Suzanne E. Tank, Claire Treat, Ruth K. Varner, Tarmo Virtanen, Rebecca K. Warren, and Jennifer D. Watts
Earth Syst. Sci. Data, 13, 5127–5149, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-13-5127-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-13-5127-2021, 2021
Short summary
Short summary
Wetlands, lakes, and rivers are important sources of the greenhouse gas methane to the atmosphere. To understand current and future methane emissions from northern regions, we need maps that show the extent and distribution of specific types of wetlands, lakes, and rivers. The Boreal–Arctic Wetland and Lake Dataset (BAWLD) provides maps of five wetland types, seven lake types, and three river types for northern regions and will improve our ability to predict future methane emissions.
Kyle B. Delwiche, Sara Helen Knox, Avni Malhotra, Etienne Fluet-Chouinard, Gavin McNicol, Sarah Feron, Zutao Ouyang, Dario Papale, Carlo Trotta, Eleonora Canfora, You-Wei Cheah, Danielle Christianson, Ma. Carmelita R. Alberto, Pavel Alekseychik, Mika Aurela, Dennis Baldocchi, Sheel Bansal, David P. Billesbach, Gil Bohrer, Rosvel Bracho, Nina Buchmann, David I. Campbell, Gerardo Celis, Jiquan Chen, Weinan Chen, Housen Chu, Higo J. Dalmagro, Sigrid Dengel, Ankur R. Desai, Matteo Detto, Han Dolman, Elke Eichelmann, Eugenie Euskirchen, Daniela Famulari, Kathrin Fuchs, Mathias Goeckede, Sébastien Gogo, Mangaliso J. Gondwe, Jordan P. Goodrich, Pia Gottschalk, Scott L. Graham, Martin Heimann, Manuel Helbig, Carole Helfter, Kyle S. Hemes, Takashi Hirano, David Hollinger, Lukas Hörtnagl, Hiroki Iwata, Adrien Jacotot, Gerald Jurasinski, Minseok Kang, Kuno Kasak, John King, Janina Klatt, Franziska Koebsch, Ken W. Krauss, Derrick Y. F. Lai, Annalea Lohila, Ivan Mammarella, Luca Belelli Marchesini, Giovanni Manca, Jaclyn Hatala Matthes, Trofim Maximov, Lutz Merbold, Bhaskar Mitra, Timothy H. Morin, Eiko Nemitz, Mats B. Nilsson, Shuli Niu, Walter C. Oechel, Patricia Y. Oikawa, Keisuke Ono, Matthias Peichl, Olli Peltola, Michele L. Reba, Andrew D. Richardson, William Riley, Benjamin R. K. Runkle, Youngryel Ryu, Torsten Sachs, Ayaka Sakabe, Camilo Rey Sanchez, Edward A. Schuur, Karina V. R. Schäfer, Oliver Sonnentag, Jed P. Sparks, Ellen Stuart-Haëntjens, Cove Sturtevant, Ryan C. Sullivan, Daphne J. Szutu, Jonathan E. Thom, Margaret S. Torn, Eeva-Stiina Tuittila, Jessica Turner, Masahito Ueyama, Alex C. Valach, Rodrigo Vargas, Andrej Varlagin, Alma Vazquez-Lule, Joseph G. Verfaillie, Timo Vesala, George L. Vourlitis, Eric J. Ward, Christian Wille, Georg Wohlfahrt, Guan Xhuan Wong, Zhen Zhang, Donatella Zona, Lisamarie Windham-Myers, Benjamin Poulter, and Robert B. Jackson
Earth Syst. Sci. Data, 13, 3607–3689, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-13-3607-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-13-3607-2021, 2021
Short summary
Short summary
Methane is an important greenhouse gas, yet we lack knowledge about its global emissions and drivers. We present FLUXNET-CH4, a new global collection of methane measurements and a critical resource for the research community. We use FLUXNET-CH4 data to quantify the seasonality of methane emissions from freshwater wetlands, finding that methane seasonality varies strongly with latitude. Our new database and analysis will improve wetland model accuracy and inform greenhouse gas budgets.
Olivia Carpino, Kristine Haynes, Ryan Connon, James Craig, Élise Devoie, and William Quinton
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 25, 3301–3317, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-25-3301-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-25-3301-2021, 2021
Short summary
Short summary
This study demonstrates how climate warming in peatland-dominated regions of discontinuous permafrost is changing the form and function of the landscape. Key insights into the rates and patterns of such changes in the coming decades are provided through careful identification of land cover transitional stages and characterization of the hydrological and energy balance regimes for each stage.
Dong-Gill Kim, Ben Bond-Lamberty, Youngryel Ryu, Bumsuk Seo, and Dario Papale
Biogeosciences Discuss., https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-2021-85, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-2021-85, 2021
Manuscript not accepted for further review
Short summary
Short summary
While greenhouse gas (GHG) research has adopted highly advanced technology some have adopted appropriate technology and approach (AT&A) such as low-cost instrument, open source software and participatory research and their results were well accepted by scientific communities. In terms of cost, feasibility and performance, integration of low-cost and low-technology, participatory and networking based research approaches can be AT&A for enhancing GHG research in developing countries.
Chris M. DeBeer, Howard S. Wheater, John W. Pomeroy, Alan G. Barr, Jennifer L. Baltzer, Jill F. Johnstone, Merritt R. Turetsky, Ronald E. Stewart, Masaki Hayashi, Garth van der Kamp, Shawn Marshall, Elizabeth Campbell, Philip Marsh, Sean K. Carey, William L. Quinton, Yanping Li, Saman Razavi, Aaron Berg, Jeffrey J. McDonnell, Christopher Spence, Warren D. Helgason, Andrew M. Ireson, T. Andrew Black, Mohamed Elshamy, Fuad Yassin, Bruce Davison, Allan Howard, Julie M. Thériault, Kevin Shook, Michael N. Demuth, and Alain Pietroniro
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 25, 1849–1882, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-25-1849-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-25-1849-2021, 2021
Short summary
Short summary
This article examines future changes in land cover and hydrological cycling across the interior of western Canada under climate conditions projected for the 21st century. Key insights into the mechanisms and interactions of Earth system and hydrological process responses are presented, and this understanding is used together with model application to provide a synthesis of future change. This has allowed more scientifically informed projections than have hitherto been available.
Nataniel M. Holtzman, Leander D. L. Anderegg, Simon Kraatz, Alex Mavrovic, Oliver Sonnentag, Christoforos Pappas, Michael H. Cosh, Alexandre Langlois, Tarendra Lakhankar, Derek Tesser, Nicholas Steiner, Andreas Colliander, Alexandre Roy, and Alexandra G. Konings
Biogeosciences, 18, 739–753, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-18-739-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-18-739-2021, 2021
Short summary
Short summary
Microwave radiation coming from Earth's land surface is affected by both soil moisture and the water in plants that cover the soil. We measured such radiation with a sensor elevated above a forest canopy while repeatedly measuring the amount of water stored in trees at the same location. Changes in the microwave signal over time were closely related to tree water storage changes. Satellites with similar sensors could thus be used to monitor how trees in an entire region respond to drought.
Cited articles
Al-Muqdadi, S. W. and Merkel, B. J.: Automated watershed evaluation of flat terrain, J. Water Resour. Prot., 3, 892–903, https://doi.org/10.4236/jwarp.2011.312099, 2011.
Arain, M. A., Black, T. A., Barr, A. G., Griffis, T. J., Morgenstern, K., and Nesic, Z.: Year-round observations of the energy and water vapour fluxes above a boreal black spruce forest, Hydrol. Process., 17, 3581–3600, https://doi.org/10.1002/hyp.1348, 2003.
Aylesworth, J. and Kettles, I.: Distribution of fen and bog in the Mackenzie valley, 60° N–60° N, Geological Survey of Canada, Bulletin 547, 49–55, 2000.
Baldocchi, D.: Measuring fluxes of trace gases and energy between ecosystems and the atmosphere – the state and future of the eddy covariance method, Glob. Change Biol., 20, 3600–3609, https://doi.org/10.1111/gcb.12649, 2014.
Baltzer, J. L., Veness, T., Chasmer, L. E., Sniderhan, A. E., and Quinton, W. L.: Forests on thawing permafrost: fragmentation, edge effects, and net forest loss, Glob. Change Biol., 20, 824–834, https://doi.org/10.1111/gcb.12349, 2014.
Barr, A. G., Van Der Kamp, G., Black, T. A., McCaughey, J. H., and Nesic, Z.: Energy balance closure at the BERMS flux towers in relation to the water balance of the White Gull Creek watershed 1999–2009, Agr. Forest Meteorol., 153, 3–13, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.agrformet.2011.05.017, 2012.
Biskaborn, B. K., Smith, S. L., Noetzli, J., Matthes, H., Vieira, G., Streletskiy, D. A., Schoeneich, P., Romanovsky, V. E., Lewkowicz, A. G., Abramov, A., Allard, M., Boike, J., Cable, W. L., Christiansen, H. H., Delaloye, R., Diekmann, B., Drozdov, D., Etzelmüller, B., Grosse, G., Guglielmin, M., Ingeman-Nielsen, T., Isaksen, K., Ishikawa, M., Johansson, M., Johannsson, H., Joo, A., Kaverin, D., Kholodov, A., Konstantinov, P., Kröger, T., Lambiel, C., Lanckman, J.-P., Luo, D., Malkova, G., Meiklejohn, I., Moskalenko, N., Oliva, M., Phillips, M., Ramos, M., Sannel, A. B. K., Sergeev, D., Seybold, C., Skryabin, P., Vasiliev, A., Wu, Q., Yoshikawa, K., Zheleznyak, M., and Lantuit, H.: Permafrost is warming at a global scale, Nat. Commun., 10, 264, https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-018-08240-4, 2019.
Bolton, W. R., Hinzman, L., and Yoshikawa, K.: Water balance dynamics of three small catchments in a Sub-Arctic boreal forest, IAHS-AISH P., 290, 213–223, 2004.
Box, J. E., Colgan, W. T., Christensen, T. R., Schmidt, N. M., Lund, M., Parmentier, F.-J. W., Brown, R., Bhatt, U. S., Euskirchen, E. S., Romanovsky, V. E., Walsh, J. E., Overland, J. E., Wang, M., Corell, R. W., Meier, W. N., Wouters, B., Mernild, S., Mård, J., Pawlak, J., and Olsen, M. S.: Key indicators of Arctic climate change: 1971–2017, Environ. Res. Lett., 14, 045010, https://doi.org/10.1088/1748-9326/aafc1b, 2019.
Burd, K., Tank, S. E., Dion, N., Quinton, W. L., Spence, C., Tanentzap, A. J., and Olefeldt, D.: Seasonal shifts in export of DOC and nutrients from burned and unburned peatland-rich catchments, Northwest Territories, Canada, Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 22, 4455–4472, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-22-4455-2018, 2018.
Camill, P., Lynch, J. A., Clark, J. S., Adams, J. B., and Jordan, B.: Changes in biomass, aboveground net primary production, and peat accumulation following permafrost thaw in the boreal peatlands of Manitoba, Canada, Ecosystems, 4, 461–478, https://doi.org/10.1007/s10021-001-0022-3, 2001.
Carey, S. K., Tetzlaff, D., Seibert, J., Soulsby, C., Buttle, J., Laudon, H., McDonnell, J., McGuire, K., Caissie, D., Shanley, J., Kennedy, M., Devito, K., and Pomeroy, J. W.: Inter-comparison of hydro-climatic regimes across northern catchments: synchronicity, resistance and resilience, Hydrol. Process., 24, 3591–3602, https://doi.org/10.1002/hyp.7880, 2010.
Carpino, O., Berg, A. A., Quinton, W. L., and Adams, J. R.: Climate change and permafrost thaw-induced boreal forest loss in northwestern Canada, Environ. Res. Lett., 13, 084018, https://doi.org/10.1088/1748-9326/aad74e, 2018.
Carpino, O., Haynes, K., Connon, R., Craig, J., Devoie, É., and Quinton, W.: Long-term climate-influenced land cover change in discontinuous permafrost peatland complexes, Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 25, 3301–3317, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-25-3301-2021, 2021.
Chapin, F. S., Woodwell, G. M., Randerson, J. T., Rastetter, E. B., Lovett, G. M., Baldocchi, D. D., Clark, D. A., Harmon, M. E., Schimel, D. S., Valentini, R., Wirth, C., Aber, J. D., Cole, J. J., Goulden, M. L., Harden, J. W., Heimann, M., Howarth, R. W., Matson, P. A., McGuire, A. D., Melillo, J. M., Mooney, H. A., Neff, J. C., Houghton, R. A., Pace, M. L., Ryan, M. G., Running, S. W., Sala, O. E., Schlesinger, W. H., and Schulze, E.-D.: Reconciling carbon-cycle concepts, terminology, and methods, Ecosystems, 9, 1041–1050, https://doi.org/10.1007/s10021-005-0105-7, 2006.
Chasmer, L. and Hopkinson, C.: Threshold loss of discontinuous permafrost and landscape evolution, Glob. Change Biol., 23, 2672–2686, https://doi.org/10.1111/gcb.13537, 2017.
Chasmer, L., Hopkinson, C., Veness, T., Quinton, W., and Baltzer, J.: A decision-tree classification for low-lying complex land cover types within the zone of discontinuous permafrost, Remote Sens. Environ., 143, 73–84, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rse.2013.12.016, 2014.
Clayton, L. K., Schaefer, K., Battaglia, M. J., Bourgeau-Chavez, L., Chen, J., Chen, R. H., Chen, A., Bakian-Dogaheh, K., Grelik, S., Jafarov, E., Liu, L., Michaelides, R. J., Moghaddam, M., Parsekian, A. D., Rocha, A. V., Schaefer, S. R., Sullivan, T., Tabatabaeenejad, A., Wang, K., Wilson, C. J., Zebker, H. A., Zhang, T., and Zhao, Y.: Active layer thickness as a function of soil water content, Environ. Res. Lett., 16, 055028, https://doi.org/10.1088/1748-9326/abfa4c, 2021.
Connon, R., Devoie, É., Hayashi, M., Veness, T., and Quinton, W.: The influence of shallow taliks on permafrost thaw and active layer dynamics in subarctic Canada, J. Geophys. Res.-Earth, 123, 281–297, https://doi.org/10.1002/2017JF004469, 2018.
Connon, R. F., Quinton, W. L., Craig, J. R., and Hayashi, M.: Changing hydrologic connectivity due to permafrost thaw in the lower Liard River valley, NWT, Canada, Hydrol. Process., 28, 4163–4178, https://doi.org/10.1002/hyp.10206, 2014.
Connon, R. F., Quinton, W. L., Craig, J. R., Hanisch, J., and Sonnentag, O.: The hydrology of interconnected bog complexes in discontinuous permafrost terrains: Hydrology of Interconnected Bogs in Discontinuous Permafrost, Hydrol. Process., 29, 3831–3847, https://doi.org/10.1002/hyp.10604, 2015.
Connon, R. F., Chasmer, L., Haughton, E., Helbig, M., Hopkinson, C., Sonnentag, O., and Quinton, W. L.: The implications of permafrost thaw and land cover change on snow water equivalent accumulation, melt and runoff in discontinuous permafrost peatlands, Hydrol. Process., 35, e14363, https://doi.org/10.1002/hyp.14363, 2021.
Datta, S., Karmakar, S., Mezbahuddin, S., Hossain, M. M., Chaudhary, B. S., Hoque, Md. E., Abdullah Al Mamun, M. M., and Baul, T. K.: The limits of watershed delineation: implications of different DEMs, DEM resolutions, and area threshold values, Hydrol. Res., 53, 1047–1062, https://doi.org/10.2166/nh.2022.126, 2022.
Devoie, É. G., Craig, J. R., Connon, R. F., and Quinton, W. L.: Taliks: A tipping point in discontinuous permafrost degradation in peatlands, Water Resour. Res., 55, 9838–9857, https://doi.org/10.1029/2018WR024488, 2019.
Devoie, É. G., Craig, J. R., Dominico, M., Carpino, O., Connon, R. F., Rudy, A. C. A., and Quinton, W. L.: Mechanisms of discontinuous permafrost thaw in peatlands, J. Geophys. Res.-Earth, 126, e2021JF006204, https://doi.org/10.1029/2021JF006204, 2021.
Ecosystem Classification Group: Ecological regions of the Northwest Territories – Taiga Plains, Department of Environment and Natural Resources, Government of the Northwest Territories, Yellowknife, NT, Canada, 2007.
Environmental Systems Research Institute (ESRI): ArcGIS Desktop Version 10.2, 2014.
Ernakovich, J. G., Barbato, R. A., Rich, V. I., Schädel, C., Hewitt, R. E., Doherty, S. J., Whalen, E. D., Abbott, B. W., Barta, J., Biasi, C., Chabot, C. L., Hultman, J., Knoblauch, C., Vetter, M. C. Y. L., Leewis, M., Liebner, S., Mackelprang, R., Onstott, T. C., Richter, A., Schütte, U. M. E., Siljanen, H. M. P., Taş, N., Timling, I., Vishnivetskaya, T. A., Waldrop, M. P., and Winkel, M.: Microbiome assembly in thawing permafrost and its feedbacks to climate, Glob. Change Biol., 28, 5007–5026, https://doi.org/10.1111/gcb.16231, 2022.
Errington, R. C., Macdonald, S. E., and Bhatti, J. S.: Rate of permafrost thaw and associated plant community dynamics in peatlands of northwestern Canada, J. Ecol., 1365-2745.14339, https://doi.org/10.1111/1365-2745.14339, 2024.
Evenson, G. R., Jones, C. N., McLaughlin, D. L., Golden, H. E., Lane, C. R., DeVries, B., Alexander, L. C., Lang, M. W., McCarty, G. W., and Sharifi, A.: A watershed-scale model for depressional wetland-rich landscapes, J. Hydrol. X, 1, 100002, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.hydroa.2018.10.002, 2018.
Foster, A. C., Wang, J. A., Frost, G. V., Davidson, S. J., Hoy, E., Turner, K. W., Sonnentag, O., Epstein, H., Berner, L. T., Armstrong, A. H., Kang, M., Rogers, B. M., Campbell, E., Miner, K. R., Orndahl, K. M., Bourgeau-Chavez, L. L., Lutz, D. A., French, N., Chen, D., Du, J., Shestakova, T. A., Shuman, J. K., Tape, K., Virkkala, A.-M., Potter, C., and Goetz, S.: Disturbances in North American boreal forest and Arctic tundra: impacts, interactions, and responses, Environ. Res. Lett., 17, 113001, https://doi.org/10.1088/1748-9326/ac98d7, 2022.
Gandois, L., Tananaev, N. I., Prokushkin, A., Solnyshkin, I., and Teisserenc, R.: Seasonality of DOC export from a russian subarctic catchment underlain by discontinuous permafrost, highlighted by high-frequency monitoring, J. Geophys. Res.-Biogeo., 126, https://doi.org/10.1029/2020JG006152, 2021.
Gao, H., Sabo, J. L., Chen, X., Liu, Z., Yang, Z., Ren, Z., and Liu, M.: Landscape heterogeneity and hydrological processes: a review of landscape-based hydrological models, Landscape Ecol., 33, 1461–1480, https://doi.org/10.1007/s10980-018-0690-4, 2018.
Garon-Labrecque, M.-È., Léveillé-Bourret, É., Higgins, K., and Sonnentag, O.: Additions to the boreal flora of the Northwest Territories with a preliminary vascular flora of Scotty Creek, Can. Field Nat., 129, 349, https://doi.org/10.22621/cfn.v129i4.1757, 2016.
Genxu, W., Guangsheng, L., and Chunjie, L.: Effects of changes in alpine grassland vegetation cover on hillslope hydrological processes in a permafrost watershed, J. Hydrol., 444–445, 22–33, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhydrol.2012.03.033, 2012.
Gibson, C. M., Chasmer, L. E., Thompson, D. K., Quinton, W. L., Flannigan, M. D., and Olefeldt, D.: Wildfire as a major driver of recent permafrost thaw in boreal peatlands, Nat. Commun., 9, 3041, https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-018-05457-1, 2018.
Gibson, C. M., Brinkman, T., Cold, H., Brown, D., and Turetsky, M.: Identifying increasing risks of hazards for northern land-users caused by permafrost thaw: integrating scientific and community-based research approaches, Environ. Res. Lett., 16, 064047, https://doi.org/10.1088/1748-9326/abfc79, 2021.
Gordon, J., Quinton, W., Branfireun, B. A., and Olefeldt, D.: Mercury and methylmercury biogeochemistry in a thawing permafrost wetland complex, Northwest Territories, Canada: Northwest Territories, Canada, Hydrol. Process., 30, 3627–3638, https://doi.org/10.1002/hyp.10911, 2016.
Gruber, S.: Derivation and analysis of a high-resolution estimate of global permafrost zonation, The Cryosphere, 6, 221–233, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-6-221-2012, 2012.
Hayashi, M., Quinton, W. L., Pietroniro, A., and Gibson, J. J.: Hydrologic functions of wetlands in a discontinuous permafrost basin indicated by isotopic and chemical signatures, J. Hydrol., 296, 81–97, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhydrol.2004.03.020, 2004.
Haynes, K. M., Connon, R. F., and Quinton, W. L.: Permafrost thaw induced drying of wetlands at Scotty Creek, NWT, Canada, Environ. Res. Lett., 13, 114001, https://doi.org/10.1088/1748-9326/aae46c, 2018.
Haynes, K. M., Frederick, I., Disher, B., Carpino, O., and Quinton, W. L.: Long-term trends in wetland event response with permafrost thaw-induced landscape transition and hummock development, Ecohydrology, 16, e2515, https://doi.org/10.1002/eco.2515, 2022.
He, Z. and Pomeroy, J. W.: Assessing hydrological sensitivity to future climate change over the Canadian southern boreal forest, J. Hydrol., 624, 129897, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhydrol.2023.129897, 2023.
Heffernan, L., Kothawala, D. N., and Tranvik, L. J.: Review article: Terrestrial dissolved organic carbon in northern permafrost, The Cryosphere, 18, 1443–1465, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-18-1443-2024, 2024.
Helbig, M., Pappas, C., and Sonnentag, O.: Permafrost thaw and wildfire: Equally important drivers of boreal tree cover changes in the Taiga Plains, Canada, Geophys. Res. Lett., 43, 1598–1606, https://doi.org/10.1002/2015GL067193, 2016a.
Helbig, M., Wischnewski, K., Kljun, N., Chasmer, L. E., Quinton, W. L., Detto, M., and Sonnentag, O.: Regional atmospheric cooling and wetting effect of permafrost thaw-induced boreal forest loss, Glob. Change Biol., 22, 4048–4066, https://doi.org/10.1111/gcb.13348, 2016b.
Helbig, M., Chasmer, L. E., Kljun, N., Quinton, W. L., Treat, C. C., and Sonnentag, O.: The positive net radiative greenhouse gas forcing of increasing methane emissions from a thawing boreal forest-wetland landscape, Glob. Change Biol., 23, 2413–2427, https://doi.org/10.1111/gcb.13520, 2017a.
Helbig, M., Quinton, W. L., and Sonnentag, O.: Warmer spring conditions increase annual methane emissions from a boreal peat landscape with sporadic permafrost, Environ. Res. Lett., 12, 115009, https://doi.org/10.1088/1748-9326/aa8c85, 2017b.
Helbig, M., Waddington, J. M., Alekseychik, P., Amiro, B., Aurela, M., Barr, A. G., Black, T. A., Carey, S. K., Chen, J., Chi, J., Desai, A. R., Dunn, A., Euskirchen, E. S., Flanagan, L. B., Friborg, T., Garneau, M., Grelle, A., Harder, S., Heliasz, M., Humphreys, E. R., Ikawa, H., Isabelle, P.-E., Iwata, H., Jassal, R., Korkiakoski, M., Kurbatova, J., Kutzbach, L., Lapshina, E., Lindroth, A., Löfvenius, M. O., Lohila, A., Mammarella, I., Marsh, P., Moore, P. A., Maximov, T., Nadeau, D. F., Nicholls, E. M., Nilsson, M. B., Ohta, T., Peichl, M., Petrone, R. M., Prokushkin, A., Quinton, W. L., Roulet, N., Runkle, B. R. K., Sonnentag, O., Strachan, I. B., Taillardat, P., Tuittila, E.-S., Tuovinen, J.-P., Turner, J., Ueyama, M., Varlagin, A., Vesala, T., Wilmking, M., Zyrianov, V., and Schulze, C.: The biophysical climate mitigation potential of boreal peatlands during the growing season, Environ. Res. Lett., 15, 104004, https://doi.org/10.1088/1748-9326/abab34, 2020a.
Helbig, M., Waddington, J. M., Alekseychik, P., Amiro, B. D., Aurela, M., Barr, A. G., Black, T. A., Blanken, P. D., Carey, S. K., Chen, J., Chi, J., Desai, A. R., Dunn, A., Euskirchen, E. S., Flanagan, L. B., Forbrich, I., Friborg, T., Grelle, A., Harder, S., Heliasz, M., Humphreys, E. R., Ikawa, H., Isabelle, P.-E., Iwata, H., Jassal, R., Korkiakoski, M., Kurbatova, J., Kutzbach, L., Lindroth, A., Löfvenius, M. O., Lohila, A., Mammarella, I., Marsh, P., Maximov, T., Melton, J. R., Moore, P. A., Nadeau, D. F., Nicholls, E. M., Nilsson, M. B., Ohta, T., Peichl, M., Petrone, R. M., Petrov, R., Prokushkin, A., Quinton, W. L., Reed, D. E., Roulet, N. T., Runkle, B. R. K., Sonnentag, O., Strachan, I. B., Taillardat, P., Tuittila, E.-S., Tuovinen, J.-P., Turner, J., Ueyama, M., Varlagin, A., Wilmking, M., Wofsy, S. C., and Zyrianov, V.: Increasing contribution of peatlands to boreal evapotranspiration in a warming climate, Nat. Clim. Change, 10, 555–560, https://doi.org/10.1038/s41558-020-0763-7, 2020b.
Ingram, H. A. P.: Soil layers in mires: function and terminology, J. Soil Sci., 29, 224–227, https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2389.1978.tb02053.x, 1978.
Isabelle, P.-E., Nadeau, D. F., Rousseau, A. N., and Anctil, F.: Water budget, performance of evapotranspiration formulations, and their impact on hydrological modeling of a small boreal peatland-dominated watershed, Can. J. Earth Sci., 55, 206–220, https://doi.org/10.1139/cjes-2017-0046, 2018.
Isabelle, P.-E., Nadeau, D. F., Anctil, F., Rousseau, A. N., Jutras, S., and Music, B.: Impacts of high precipitation on the energy and water budgets of a humid boreal forest, Agr. Forest Meteorol., 280, 107813, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.agrformet.2019.107813, 2020.
Jarvis, A., Reuter, H. I., Nelson, A., and Asensio, E.: Hole-filled SRTM for the globe Version 4, available from the CGIAR-CSI SRTM 90 m Database, http://srtm.csi.cgiar.org (last access: 31 May 2024), 2008.
Jiang, C. and Ryu, Y.: Multi-scale evaluation of global gross primary productivity and evapotranspiration products derived from Breathing Earth System Simulator (BESS), Remote Sens. Environ., 186, 528–547, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rse.2016.08.030, 2016.
Jones, M. W., Abatzoglou, J. T., Veraverbeke, S., Andela, N., Lasslop, G., Forkel, M., Smith, A. J. P., Burton, C., Betts, R. A., Van Der Werf, G. R., Sitch, S., Canadell, J. G., Santín, C., Kolden, C., Doerr, S. H., and Le Quéré, C.: Global and regional trends and drivers of fire under climate change, Rev. Geophys., 60, e2020RG000726, https://doi.org/10.1029/2020RG000726, 2022.
Jutebring Sterte, E., Johansson, E., Sjöberg, Y., Huseby Karlsen, R., and Laudon, H.: Groundwater-surface water interactions across scales in a boreal landscape investigated using a numerical modelling approach, J. Hydrol., 560, 184–201, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhydrol.2018.03.011, 2018.
Jutebring Sterte, E., Lidman, F., Lindborg, E., Sjöberg, Y., and Laudon, H.: How catchment characteristics influence hydrological pathways and travel times in a boreal landscape, Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 25, 2133–2158, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-25-2133-2021, 2021.
Kartiwa, B., Adi, S. H., Sosiawan, H., Heryani, N., Rejekiningrum, P., Dariah, A., Maswar, Suratman, Lenin, I., and Widiyono, W.: Water level and soil moisture monitoring for peatland fire risk indicator, IOP C. Ser. Earth Env., 1201, 012066, https://doi.org/10.1088/1755-1315/1201/1/012066, 2023.
Kemeny, P. C., Li, G. K., Douglas, M., Berelson, W., Chadwick, A. J., Dalleska, N. F., Lamb, M. P., Larsen, W., Magyar, J. S., Rollins, N. E., Rowland, J., Smith, M. I., Torres, M. A., Webb, S. M., Fischer, W. W., and West, A. J.: Arctic permafrost thawing enhances sulfide oxidation, Global Biogeochem. Cy., 37, e2022GB007644, https://doi.org/10.1029/2022GB007644, 2023.
Keys, L. and Baade, J.: Uncertainty in catchment delineations as a result of digital elevation model choice, Hydrology, 6, 13, https://doi.org/10.3390/hydrology6010013, 2019.
King, M., Altdorff, D., Li, P., Galagedara, L., Holden, J., and Unc, A.: Northward shift of the agricultural climate zone under 21st-century global climate change, Sci. Rep.-UK, 8, 7904, https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-018-26321-8, 2018.
Klotz, L. A., Sonnentag, O., Wang, Z., Wang, J. A., and Kang, M.: Oil and natural gas wells across the NASA ABoVE domain: fugitive methane emissions and broader environmental impacts, Environ. Res. Lett., 18, 035008, https://doi.org/10.1088/1748-9326/acbe52, 2023.
Langer, M., von Deimling, T. S., Westermann, S., Rolph, R., Rutte, R., Antonova, S., Rachold, V., Schultz, M., Oehme, A., and Grosse, G.: Thawing permafrost poses environmental threat to thousands of sites with legacy industrial contamination, Nat. Commun., 14, 1721, https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-023-37276-4, 2023.
Laudon, H., Köhler, S., and Buffam, I.: Seasonal TOC export from seven boreal catchments in northern Sweden, Aquat. Sci.-Res. Boundaries, 66, 223–230, https://doi.org/10.1007/s00027-004-0700-2, 2004.
Li, W., Yan, D., Weng, B., and Zhu, L.: Research progress on hydrological effects of permafrost degradation in the Northern Hemisphere, Geoderma, 438, 116629, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.geoderma.2023.116629, 2023.
Li, X.-Y., Jin, H.-J., Wang, H.-W., Marchenko, S. S., Shan, W., Luo, D.-L., He, R.-X., Spektor, V., Huang, Y.-D., Li, X.-Y., and Jia, N.: Influences of forest fires on the permafrost environment: A review, Adv. Clim. Change Res., 12, 48–65, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.accre.2021.01.001, 2021.
MacCarthy, J., Tyukavina, A., Weisse, M. J., Harris, N., and Glen, E.: Extreme wildfires in Canada and their contribution to global loss in tree cover and carbon emissions in 2023, Glob. Change Biol., 30, e17392, https://doi.org/10.1111/gcb.17392, 2024.
Mack, M., Connon, R., Makarieva, O., McLaughlin, J., Nesterova, N., and Quinton, W.: Heterogenous runoff trends in peatland-dominated basins throughout the circumpolar North, Environ. Res. Commun., 3, 075006, https://doi.org/10.1088/2515-7620/ac11ed, 2021.
McCarter, C. P. R., Rezanezhad, F., Quinton, W. L., Gharedaghloo, B., Lennartz, B., Price, J., Connon, R., and Van Cappellen, P.: Pore-scale controls on hydrological and geochemical processes in peat: Implications on interacting processes, Earth-Sci. Rev., 207, 103227, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.earscirev.2020.103227, 2020.
McClymont, A. F., Hayashi, M., Bentley, L. R., and Christensen, B. S.: Geophysical imaging and thermal modeling of subsurface morphology and thaw evolution of discontinuous permafrost, J. Geophys. Res.-Earth, 118, 1826–1837, https://doi.org/10.1002/jgrf.20114, 2013.
Moges, D. M., Virro, H., Kmoch, A., Cibin, R., Rohith, A. N., Martínez-Salvador, A., Conesa-García, C., and Uuemaa, E.: How does the choice of DEMs affect catchment hydrological modeling?, Sci. Total Environ., 892, 164627, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2023.164627, 2023.
Morris, P. J., Waddington, J. M., Benscoter, B. W., and Turetsky, M. R.: Conceptual frameworks in peatland ecohydrology: looking beyond the two-layered (acrotelm-catotelm) model, Ecohydrology, 4, 1–11, https://doi.org/10.1002/eco.191, 2011.
Mortelmans, J., Felsberg, A., De Lannoy, G. J. M., Veraverbeke, S., Field, R. D., Andela, N., and Bechtold, M.: Improving the fire weather index system for peatlands using peat-specific hydrological input data, Nat. Hazards Earth Syst. Sci., 24, 445–464, https://doi.org/10.5194/nhess-24-445-2024, 2024.
Nakai, T., Kim, Y., Busey, R. C., Suzuki, R., Nagai, S., Kobayashi, H., Park, H., Sugiura, K., and Ito, A.: Characteristics of evapotranspiration from a permafrost black spruce forest in interior Alaska, Polar Sci., 7, 136–148, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.polar.2013.03.003, 2013.
Nousu, J.-P., Lafaysse, M., Mazzotti, G., Ala-aho, P., Marttila, H., Cluzet, B., Aurela, M., Lohila, A., Kolari, P., Boone, A., Fructus, M., and Launiainen, S.: Modeling snowpack dynamics and surface energy budget in boreal and subarctic peatlands and forests, The Cryosphere, 18, 231–263, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-18-231-2024, 2024.
Pelletier, N., Talbot, J., Olefeldt, D., Turetsky, M., Blodau, C., Sonnentag, O., and Quinton, W. L.: Influence of Holocene permafrost aggradation and thaw on the paleoecology and carbon storage of a peatland complex in northwestern Canada, The Holocene, 27, 1391–1405, https://doi.org/10.1177/0959683617693899, 2017.
Perron, N., Baltzer, J. L., and Sonnentag, O.: Spatial and temporal variation in forest transpiration across a forested boreal peatland complex, Hydrol. Process., 37, e14815, https://doi.org/10.1002/hyp.14815, 2023.
Phillips, R. W., Spence, C., and Pomeroy, J. W.: Connectivity and runoff dynamics in heterogeneous basins, Hydrol. Process., 25, 3061–3075, https://doi.org/10.1002/hyp.8123, 2011.
Pi, K., Bieroza, M., Brouchkov, A., Chen, W., Dufour, L. J. P., Gongalsky, K. B., Herrmann, A. M., Krab, E. J., Landesman, C., Laverman, A. M., Mazei, N., Mazei, Y., Öquist, M. G., Peichl, M., Pozdniakov, S., Rezanezhad, F., Roose-Amsaleg, C., Shatilovich, A., Shi, A., Smeaton, C. M., Tong, L., Tsyganov, A. N., and Van Cappellen, P.: The cold region Critical Zone in transition: Responses to climate warming and land use change, Annu. Rev. Env. Resour., 46, 111–134, https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev-environ-012220-125703, 2021.
Pohl, S., Marsh, P., and Bonsal, B. R.: Modeling the impact of climate change on runoff and annual water balance of an Arctic headwater basin, ARCTIC, 60, 173–186, https://doi.org/10.14430/arctic242, 2007.
Price, J. S.: The influence of wetland and mineral terrain types on snowmelt runoff in the subarctic, Can. Water Resour. J., 12, 43–52, https://doi.org/10.4296/cwrj1202043, 1987.
Quinton, W., Berg, A., Braverman, M., Carpino, O., Chasmer, L., Connon, R., Craig, J., Devoie, É., Hayashi, M., Haynes, K., Olefeldt, D., Pietroniro, A., Rezanezhad, F., Schincariol, R., and Sonnentag, O.: A synthesis of three decades of hydrological research at Scotty Creek, NWT, Canada, Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 23, 2015–2039, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-23-2015-2019, 2019.
Quinton, W. L., Hayashi, M., and Pietroniro, A.: Connectivity and storage functions of channel fens and flat bogs in northern basins, Hydrol. Process., 17, 3665–3684, https://doi.org/10.1002/hyp.1369, 2003.
Quinton, W. L., Hayashi, M., Blais, K. E., Wright, N., and Peitroniro, A.: The water balance of wetland-dominated permafrost basins, IAHS-AISH P., 290, 186–194, 2004.
Quinton, W. L., Hayashi, M., and Carey, S. K.: Peat hydraulic conductivity in cold regions and its relation to pore size and geometry, Hydrol. Process., 22, 2829–2837, https://doi.org/10.1002/hyp.7027, 2008.
Quinton, W. L., Hayashi, M., and Chasmer, L. E.: Peatland hydrology of discontinuous permafrost in the Northwest Territories: Overview and synthesis, Can. Water Resour. J., 34, 311–328, https://doi.org/10.4296/cwrj3404311, 2009.
Ramage, J., Kuhn, M., Virkkala, A., Voigt, C., Marushchak, M. E., Bastos, A., Biasi, C., Canadell, J. G., Ciais, P., López-Blanco, E., Natali, S. M., Olefeldt, D., Potter, S., Poulter, B., Rogers, B. M., Schuur, E. A. G., Treat, C., Turetsky, M. R., Watts, J., and Hugelius, G.: The net GHG balance and budget of the permafrost region (2000–2020) from ecosystem flux upscaling, Global Biogeochem. Cy., 38, e2023GB007953, https://doi.org/10.1029/2023GB007953, 2024.
Ran, Y., Li, X., Cheng, G., Che, J., Aalto, J., Karjalainen, O., Hjort, J., Luoto, M., Jin, H., Obu, J., Hori, M., Yu, Q., and Chang, X.: New high-resolution estimates of the permafrost thermal state and hydrothermal conditions over the Northern Hemisphere, Earth Syst. Sci. Data, 14, 865–884, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-14-865-2022, 2022.
Rantanen, M., Karpechko, A. Yu., Lipponen, A., Nordling, K., Hyvärinen, O., Ruosteenoja, K., Vihma, T., and Laaksonen, A.: The Arctic has warmed nearly four times faster than the globe since 1979, Commun. Earth Environ., 3, 168, https://doi.org/10.1038/s43247-022-00498-3, 2022.
Schuur, E. A. G., Abbott, B. W., Commane, R., Ernakovich, J., Euskirchen, E., Hugelius, G., Grosse, G., Jones, M., Koven, C., Leshyk, V., Lawrence, D., Loranty, M. M., Mauritz, M., Olefeldt, D., Natali, S., Rodenhizer, H., Salmon, V., Schädel, C., Strauss, J., Treat, C., and Turetsky, M.: Permafrost and climate change: carbon cycle feedbacks from the warming arctic, Annu. Rev. Env. Resour., 47, 343–371, https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev-environ-012220-011847, 2022.
Shirley, I. A., Mekonnen, Z. A., Wainwright, H., Romanovsky, V. E., Grant, R. F., Hubbard, S. S., Riley, W. J., and Dafflon, B.: Near-surface hydrology and soil properties drive heterogeneity in permafrost distribution, vegetation dynamics, and Carbon Cycling in a Sub-Arctic Watershed, J. Geophys. Res.-Biogeo., 127, e2022JG006864, https://doi.org/10.1029/2022JG006864, 2022.
Siddiqui, R., Lashari, B., and Skogerboe, G. V.: Converting a fabricated cutthroat flume into a discharge measuring instrument, Pakistan National Program iv, International Irrigation Management Institute (IIMI), Hyderabad, Pakistan, 61p., https://cgspace.cgiar.org/items/717f3491-062c-41d0-bea8-4aee966cefc1 (last access: 29 September 2025), 1996.
Sjöberg, Y., Jan, A., Painter, S. L., Coon, E. T., Carey, M. P., O'Donnell, J. A., and Koch, J. C.: Permafrost promotes shallow groundwater flow and warmer headwater streams, Water Resour. Res., 57, e2020WR027463, https://doi.org/10.1029/2020WR027463, 2021.
Skogerboe, G. V., Gaylord, V., ASCE, M., Bennett, R. S., Walker, W. R., and ASCE, A. M.: Generalized discharge relations for cutthroad flumes, J. Irr. Drain. Div.-ASCE, 98, 569–583, 1972.
Smith, S. L., O'Neill, H. B., Isaksen, K., Noetzli, J., and Romanovsky, V. E.: The changing thermal state of permafrost, Nat. Rev. Earth Environ., 3, 10–23, https://doi.org/10.1038/s43017-021-00240-1, 2022.
Song, C., Rousseau, A. N., Song, Y., Ou, Y., Chen, N., Wang, X., Sun, L., Guo, Y., Zhang, H., Zhang, Z., and Xin, Z.: Research progress and perspectives on ecological processes and carbon feedback in permafrost wetlands under changing climate conditions, Fundam. Res., S2667325824002073, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.fmre.2024.05.002, 2024.
St. Jacques, J.-M. and Sauchyn, D. J.: Increasing winter baseflow and mean annual streamflow from possible permafrost thawing in the Northwest Territories, Canada, Geophys. Res. Lett., 36, L01401, https://doi.org/10.1029/2008GL035822, 2009.
Stone, L. E., Fang, X., Haynes, K. M., Helbig, M., Pomeroy, J. W., Sonnentag, O., and Quinton, W. L.: Modelling the effects of permafrost loss on discharge from a wetland-dominated, discontinuous permafrost basin, Hydrol. Process., 33, 2607–2626, https://doi.org/10.1002/hyp.13546, 2019.
Thackeray, C. W., Hall, A., Norris, J., and Chen, D.: Constraining the increased frequency of global precipitation extremes under warming, Nat. Clim. Change, 12, 441–448, https://doi.org/10.1038/s41558-022-01329-1, 2022.
Torre Jorgenson, M., Harden, J., Kanevskiy, M., O'Donnell, J., Wickland, K., Ewing, S., Manies, K., Zhuang, Q., Shur, Y., Striegl, R., and Koch, J.: Reorganization of vegetation, hydrology and soil carbon after permafrost degradation across heterogeneous boreal landscapes, Environ. Res. Lett., 8, 035017, https://doi.org/10.1088/1748-9326/8/3/035017, 2013.
Treat, C. C., Virkkala, A., Burke, E., Bruhwiler, L., Chatterjee, A., Fisher, J. B., Hashemi, J., Parmentier, F. W., Rogers, B. M., Westermann, S., Watts, J. D., Blanc-Betes, E., Fuchs, M., Kruse, S., Malhotra, A., Miner, K., Strauss, J., Armstrong, A., Epstein, H. E., Gay, B., Goeckede, M., Kalhori, A., Kou, D., Miller, C. E., Natali, S. M., Oh, Y., Shakil, S., Sonnentag, O., Varner, R. K., Zolkos, S., Schuur, E. A. G., and Hugelius, G.: Permafrost carbon: Progress on understanding stocks and fluxes across northern terrestrial ecosystems, J. Geophys. Res.-Biogeo., 129, e2023JG007638, https://doi.org/10.1029/2023JG007638, 2024.
Uhlenbrook, S., Roser, S., and Tilch, N.: Hydrological process representation at the meso-scale: the potential of a distributed, conceptual catchment model, J. Hydrol., 291, 278–296, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhydrol.2003.12.038, 2004.
Volik, O., Kessel, E., Green, A., Petrone, R., and Price, J.: Growing season evapotranspiration in boreal fens in the Athabasca Oil Sands Region: Variability and environmental controls, Hydrol. Process., 35, e14020, https://doi.org/10.1002/hyp.14020, 2021.
Vonk, J. E., Tank, S. E., Bowden, W. B., Laurion, I., Vincent, W. F., Alekseychik, P., Amyot, M., Billet, M. F., Canário, J., Cory, R. M., Deshpande, B. N., Helbig, M., Jammet, M., Karlsson, J., Larouche, J., MacMillan, G., Rautio, M., Walter Anthony, K. M., and Wickland, K. P.: Reviews and syntheses: Effects of permafrost thaw on Arctic aquatic ecosystems, Biogeosciences, 12, 7129–7167, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-12-7129-2015, 2015.
Walvoord, M. A. and Kurylyk, B. L.: Hydrologic impacts of thawing permafrost – A review, Vadose Zone J., 15, 1–20, https://doi.org/10.2136/vzj2016.01.0010, 2016.
Wang, Z., Wang, Z., Zou, Z., Chen, X., Wu, H., Wang, W., Su, H., Li, F., Xu, W., Liu, Z., and Zhu, J.: Severe global environmental issues caused by Canada's record-breaking Wildfires in 2023, Adv. Atmos. Sci., 41, 565–571, https://doi.org/10.1007/s00376-023-3241-0, 2024.
Warren, R. K., Pappas, C., Helbig, M., Chasmer, L. E., Berg, A. A., Baltzer, J. L., Quinton, W. L., and Sonnentag, O.: Minor contribution of overstorey transpiration to landscape evapotranspiration in boreal permafrost peatlands: Contribution of overstory transpiration in a boreal permafrost peatland, Ecohydrology, 11, e1975, https://doi.org/10.1002/eco.1975, 2018.
Wei, X., Hayes, D. J., Butman, D. E., Qi, J., Ricciuto, D. M., and Yang, X.: Modeling exports of dissolved organic carbon from landscapes: a review of challenges and opportunities, Environ. Res. Lett., 19, 053001, https://doi.org/10.1088/1748-9326/ad3cf8, 2024.
Woo, M., Thorne, R., Szeto, K., and Yang, D.: Streamflow hydrology in the boreal region under the influences of climate and human interference, Philos. T. Roy. Soc. B, 363, 2249–2258, https://doi.org/10.1098/rstb.2007.2197, 2008.
Wright, S. N., Thompson, L. M., Olefeldt, D., Connon, R. F., Carpino, O. A., Beel, C. R., and Quinton, W. L.: Thaw-induced impacts on land and water in discontinuous permafrost: A review of the Taiga Plains and Taiga Shield, northwestern Canada, Earth-Sci. Rev., 232, 104104, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.earscirev.2022.104104, 2022.
Wu, J., Kutzbach, L., Jager, D., Wille, C., and Wilmking, M.: Evapotranspiration dynamics in a boreal peatland and its impact on the water and energy balance, J. Geophys. Res., 115, G04038, https://doi.org/10.1029/2009JG001075, 2010.
Zhang, Y., Li, W., Sun, G., Miao, G., Noormets, A., Emanuel, R., and King, J. S.: Understanding coastal wetland hydrology with a new regional-scale, process-based hydrological model, Hydrol. Process., 32, 3158–3173, https://doi.org/10.1002/hyp.13247, 2018.
Short summary
Thawing permafrost changes how water is stored and moves across landscapes. We measured water inputs and outputs in a basin with thawing peatland complexes and three sub-basins. In addition to yearly changes in precipitation and evapotranspiration, we found that hydrological responses are shaped by thaw-driven landscape connectivity. These findings highlight the need for long-term monitoring of ecosystem service shifts.
Thawing permafrost changes how water is stored and moves across landscapes. We measured water...
