Local-scale Arctic tundra heterogeneity affects regional-scale carbon dynamics

M. J. Lara; A. D. McGuire; E. S. Euskirchen; H. Genet; S. Yi; R. Rutter; C. Iversen; V. Sloan; S. D. Wullschleger

doi:10.1038/s41467-020-18768-z

Local-scale Arctic tundra heterogeneity affects regional-scale carbon dynamics

M. J. Lara, A. D. McGuire, E. S. Euskirchen, H. Genet, S. Yi, R. Rutter, C. Iversen, V. Sloan, S. D. Wullschleger

Plant-Soil Interactions

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

30 Scopus citations

Abstract

In northern Alaska nearly 65% of the terrestrial surface is composed of polygonal ground, where geomorphic tundra landforms disproportionately influence carbon and nutrient cycling over fine spatial scales. Process-based biogeochemical models used for local to Pan-Arctic projections of ecological responses to climate change typically operate at coarse-scales (1km²–0.5°) at which fine-scale (<1km²) tundra heterogeneity is often aggregated to the dominant land cover unit. Here, we evaluate the importance of tundra heterogeneity for representing soil carbon dynamics at fine to coarse spatial scales. We leveraged the legacy of data collected near Utqiaġvik, Alaska between 1973 and 2016 for model initiation, parameterization, and validation. Simulation uncertainty increased with a reduced representation of tundra heterogeneity and coarsening of spatial scale. Hierarchical cluster analysis of an ensemble of 21^st-century simulations reveals that a minimum of two tundra landforms (dry and wet) and a maximum of 4km² spatial scale is necessary for minimizing uncertainties (<10%) in regional to Pan-Arctic modeling applications.

Original language	English
Article number	4925
Journal	Nature Communications
Volume	11
Issue number	1
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-020-18768-z
State	Published - Dec 1 2020

Funding

This project was supported by (1) the Next-Generation Ecosystem Experiments (NGEE Arctic) project, funded by the Office of Biological and Environmental Research in the DOE Office of Science, and (2) the Alaska Climate Science Center through Grant/Cooperative Agreement G10AC00588 from the U.S. Geological Survey. We are grateful to the Ukpeaġvik Inupiat Corporation (UIC) for permitting/land access and the Barrow Arctic Science Consortium for logistical support. Any use of trade, firm, or product names is for descriptive purposes only and does not imply endorsement by the U.S. Government.

Funders	Funder number
National Science Foundation	1636476
National Science Foundation
U.S. Geological Survey
Office of Science	G10AC00588
Office of Science
Biological and Environmental Research

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abstract = "In northern Alaska nearly 65% of the terrestrial surface is composed of polygonal ground, where geomorphic tundra landforms disproportionately influence carbon and nutrient cycling over fine spatial scales. Process-based biogeochemical models used for local to Pan-Arctic projections of ecological responses to climate change typically operate at coarse-scales (1km2–0.5°) at which fine-scale (<1km2) tundra heterogeneity is often aggregated to the dominant land cover unit. Here, we evaluate the importance of tundra heterogeneity for representing soil carbon dynamics at fine to coarse spatial scales. We leveraged the legacy of data collected near Utqiaġvik, Alaska between 1973 and 2016 for model initiation, parameterization, and validation. Simulation uncertainty increased with a reduced representation of tundra heterogeneity and coarsening of spatial scale. Hierarchical cluster analysis of an ensemble of 21st-century simulations reveals that a minimum of two tundra landforms (dry and wet) and a maximum of 4km2 spatial scale is necessary for minimizing uncertainties (<10%) in regional to Pan-Arctic modeling applications.",

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AU - McGuire, A. D.

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AU - Yi, S.

AU - Rutter, R.

AU - Iversen, C.

AU - Sloan, V.

AU - Wullschleger, S. D.

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Local-scale Arctic tundra heterogeneity affects regional-scale carbon dynamics

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