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Peatlands of the Western Siberian lowlands: Current knowledge on zonation, carbon content and Late Quaternary history
Abstract
The Western Siberian lowlands (WSL) are the world's largest high-latitude wetland, and possess over 900,000 km2 of peatlands. The peatlands of the WSL are of major importance to high-latitude hydrology, carbon storage and environmental history. Analysis of the existing Russian data suggests that the mean depth of peat accumulation in the WSL is 256 cm and the total amount of carbon stored there may exceed 53,836 million metric tons. A synthesis of published and unpublished radiocarbon dates indicates that the peatlands first developed at the end of the Last Glacial, with a rapid phase of initiation between 11,000 and 10,000 cal yr BP. Initiation slowed after 8000 cal yr BP and reached a nadir at 4000 cal yr BP. There has been renewed initiation, particularly south of 62°N, following 4000 cal yr BP. The initial development of peatlands in the WSL corresponds with the warming at the close of the Pleistocene. Cooling after 4000 Cal yr BP has likely led to increased permafrost and increased peatland development particularly in central and southern regions. Cold and dry conditions in the far north may have inhibited peatland formation in the late Holocene.
... There, peatlands occupy depressions in local reliefs, vast watershed areas, and floodplains [6]. It is estimated that Western Siberian peatlands contain ∼20% of the total world peat deposits, with the highest concentration in the Taiga zone (55 • N to 65 • N) [4,7]. Moreover, they hold a carbon stock of approximately 70.2 Pg, representing up to ∼26% of the total terrestrial organic carbon (which is held in soils, detritus, and vegetation) accumulated since the Last Glacial Maximum [8,9]. ...
... Western Siberian peatlands developed mainly during the early Holocene (11,500-9000 cal yr BP) due to postglacial warming [7,8]. The rates of carbon accumulation ranged from 12 g m −2 yr −1 to 39 g m −2 yr −1 throughout the Holocene, depending on latitude. ...
... This result provides a possible explanation for the date delay between the DOC's and POC's ages at the same depth and quantifies the apparent rate of the DOC's vertical movement in Western Siberian ombrotrophic peatlands for the first time. In long-term processes of peatland development during the last 10,000-12,000 yr [7], the DOC's downward movement could potentially make a significant additional contribution to the global carbon cycle and should, therefore, be considered for inclusion in the peatland carbon balance calculation. However, our estimate of the amount of carbon lost through the DOC's vertical movement (28-404 mg m −2 yr −1 ) is equivalent to only 0.07%-1.07% of the ACAR and 0.4%-5.2% of the average DOC export through runoff [16]. ...
We studied the peat stratigraphy of the Mukhrino peatland, which is a typical ombrotrophic bog for the Middle Taiga zone of Western Siberia, to gain insights into its history, hydrology, and carbon fluxes. For the first time in Western Siberia, seven cores were collected from locations that were chosen to represent the typical present-day vegetation types, and this was performed for the dating of the separated dissolved (DOC) and particulate organic carbon (POC) fractions, which were determined using the Accelerator Mass Spectrometer (AMS) radiocarbon (14 C) method. The oldest peat was found at the bottoms of an underlying lake (10,053 cal. year BP) and an ancient riverbed (10,989 cal. year BP). For the whole history of the peatland, the average peat accumulation rate was estimated to be 0.067 ± 0.018 cm yr −1 (ranging from 0.013 to 0.332 cm yr −1), and the carbon accumulation rate was 38.56 ± 12.21 g m −2 yr −1 (ranging from 28.46 to 57.91 g m −2 yr −1). There were clear age differences between the separated samples of the DOC and POC. The DOC was older than the POC in the uppermost 150 cm of the peat deposit and younger in the deeper layers. The difference in age increased with depth, reaching 2000-3000 years at the bottom of the peat deposit (depth of 430-530 cm). Following the consideration of a range of factors that could potentially cause the dating discrepancy, we hypothesised that the DOC continuously moves down into the mineral sediment beneath the peat, as an additional carbon flux that results in the mixing of younger and older carbon. On this basis, we estimated the apparent rate of the DOC's downward movement and the associated rate of carbon loss. The first estimate of the average rate of the DOC's downward movement in Western Siberia was 0.047 ± 0.019 cm yr −1 , causing carbon loss in the range of 28-404 mg m −2 yr −1 .
... According to this hypothesis, modern (<12,000 years) primary microbial methane is transported by horizontal groundwater flow and discharged on the floodplains. About third of the West Siberia Lowlands is covered by raised bogs (Kremenetski et al., 2003;Sheng et al., 2004;Terentieva et al., 2016) with organic deposits up to 6 m deep (Turunen et al., 2001). Solutes can migrate downward from raised bog to groundwater through aquitard via either advection (Glaser et al., 2016;Levy et al., 2014;Reeve et al., 2009) or diffusion (Beer & Blodau, 2007;Clymo & Bryant, 2008;Shoemaker & Schrag, 2010). ...
... The region receives more precipitation than it experiences evapotranspiration, with the average surplus being 20-100 mm (Bulatov, 2007;Dyukarev et al., 2021). The topography of the region is relatively flat, with elevations ranging from 10 to 20 m above sea level in floodplains and 30-60 m in watersheds (Bulatov, 2007;Kremenetski et al., 2003). ...
... These nutrient-poor ecosystems are the result of the final stage of the paludification process. The region is abundant in forested bogs, with sparse stands of Pinus sylvestris reaching up to 10 m in height, and patterned bogs consisting of a mix of forested ridges and non-forested hollows and lawns (Kremenetski et al., 2003;Terentieva et al., 2016). The peat layer in these bogs typically ranges from 3 to 5 m in thickness, except for the youngest bogs, which can have a thickness as low as 1.5 m (Blanchet et al., 2017;Kremenetski et al., 2003;Masing et al., 2010;Turunen et al., 2001). ...
The expansive plains of West Siberia contain globally significant carbon stocks, with Earth's most extensive peatland complex overlying the world's largest-known hydrocarbon basin. Numerous terrestrial methane seeps have recently been discovered on this landscape, located along the floodplains of the Ob and Irtysh Rivers in hotspots covering more than 2500 km2. We articulated three hypotheses to explain the origin and migration pathways of methane within these seeps: (H1) uplift of Cretaceous-aged methane from deep petroleum reservoirs along faults and fractures, (H2) release of Oligocene-aged methane capped or trapped by degrading permafrost, and (H3) horizontal migration of Holocene-aged methane from surrounding peatlands. We tested these hypotheses using a range of geochemical tools on gas and water samples extracted from seeps, peatlands, and aquifers across the 120,000 km2 study area. Seep-gas composition, radiocarbon age, and stable isotope fingerprints favor the peatland hypothesis of seep-methane origin (H3). Organic matter in raised bogs is the primary source of seep methane, but observed variability in stable isotope composition and concentration suggest production in two divergent biogeochemical settings that support distinct metabolic pathways of methanogenesis. Comparison of these parameters in raised bogs and seeps indicates that the first is bogs, via CO2 reduction methanogenesis. The second setting is likely groundwater, where dissolved organic carbon from bogs is degraded via chemolithotrophic acetogenesis followed by acetate fermentation methanogenesis. Our findings highlight the importance of methane lateral migration in West Siberia's bog-dominated landscapes via intimate groundwater connections. The same phenomenon could occur in similar landscapes across the boreal-taiga biome, thereby making groundwater-fed rivers and springs potent methane sources.
... Understanding the response of peatlands to climate fluctuations during the Holocene can provide insight into possible responses of these sensitive ecosystems to ongoing and future climate change. In the southern part of West Siberia, small peatlands are widespreadboth eutrophic and ombrotrophic (Kremenetski et al. 2003). In general, there are fewer palaeoecological studies of minerotrophic peatlands than of ombrotrophic ones (Lamentowicz et al. 2013;Bao et al. 2018). ...
... Minerotrophic mires are primarily located in floodplains and on river terraces. The study region is characterized by a continental climate (Kremenetski et al. 2003) with a mean annual temperature of À0.4°C. The mean temperatures of the coldest month (January) and the warmest month (July) are À19.3 and +18.1°C, respectively. ...
... Relevance of minerotrophic mires to the reconstruction of palaeoclimate changes As highlighted above, there is a great potential to use minerotrophic mires in palaeoenvironmental reconstructions, particularly to reconstruct changes in local hydrology and (indirectly) climate, especially in areas where other climate archives are absent or where they do not provide continuous Holocene records. In this regard, reconstructions of minerotrophic mires are needed in the region of the southern taiga subzone of West Siberia where, in contrast to the central part of the West Siberian Plain, the area of peatlands decreases to 25-30% (Liss et al. 2001;Kremenetski et al. 2003;Vompersky et al. 2011), although the distribution of minerotrophic peatlands, often small in area, increases, and the proportion of ombrotrophic bogs decreases (Vompersky et al. 2011). The time of formation of ombrotrophic bogs in the region refers to the Early Holocene, while they passed to the ombrotrophic stage no earlier than the Middle and Late Holocene (Liss et al. 2001). ...
Palaeoenvironmental reconstructions from peat are strongly focused on ombrotrophic mires, but this study demonstrates that eutrophic mires can also be used. A multi‐proxy approach was applied to a eutrophic mire on a floodplain terrace in the southern taiga of West Siberia. The results of the reconstruction were considered in the wide geographic context of the surrounding regions, including Siberia and Central Asia. Different palaeoecological proxies (analysis of plant macrofossils, testate amoebae, oribatid mites, molluscs, peat humification, ash content and spectral characteristics of humic acids) were used in this study. The results of different proxies showed a high level of consistency among themselves, which allowed for a robust interpretation of Holocene mire development. Throughout the ~7800 years history of the mire, there was a high level of surface wetness. The presence of mineral matter in the peat between 7800 and 5100 cal. a BP indicates regular flooding caused by the intensive fluvial activity, apparently resulting from increased precipitation. This was followed by a trend towards a gradual decrease in surface wetness from conditions of high surface moisture (stagnant water) between 5100 and 3000 cal. a BP to present day conditions of moderate surface moisture with a water table slightly below the mire surface. This pattern is consistent with the well‐documented long‐term trend from palaeoecological records throughout the taiga and arctic zones in West Siberia and central arid Asia. Our data further support the idea that the westerlies were the dominant driver of climate for the southern taiga of West Siberia during the Middle to Late Holocene.
... These peatland landforms differ in terms of their morphology, developmental histories, hydrology, and ecology, and each is described in detail below. Their shift in dominance across permafrost zones is however gradual, and there are both spatial overlaps of these landforms, particularly for peat plateaus and palsas, as well as transitional peatland landforms such as polygonal peat plateaus (Zoltai and Tarnocai 1975;Kremenetski et al. 2003;Dyke and Sladen 2010). ...
... Polygonal peatlands in the continuous permafrost zone are distinguished by the presence of ice wedges, which outline polygons with a diameter of between 5 and 30 m (Fig. 3.2) (Minke et al. 2007;Liljedahl et al. 2016). Polygonal peatlands are abundant on the arctic coastal plains in Siberia, Alaska, and within the Mackenzie River delta in Canada (Fig. 3.1) (Kremenetski et al. 2003;Minke et al. 2007). The distribution of polygonal peatlands in these lowland landscapes is often irregular and surrounded by tundra vegetation on mineral soils, with peatland locations confined to river terraces, flood plains, and drained thermokarst lake basins. ...
... The width and depth of ice wedges depend on landscape position, climate, and the time to develop, but are commonlỹ 1 m wide and 2-4 m deep and often covered by a thin (20-40 cm) layer of peat ( Fig. 3.2c) (Zoltai and Tarnocai 1975). The overall peat depth within polygons is also generally shallow, 20-150 cm, although occasionally deeper (Zoltai and Tarnocai 1975;Kremenetski et al. 2003;Fritz et al. 2016). ...
Peatlands within the northern permafrost region cover approximately 2 million km² and are characterized by organic soils that can be several meters thick, and a fine-scale mosaic of permafrost and non-permafrost landforms interspersed by shallow ponds and lakes. Ongoing permafrost thaw is transforming these peatlands, causing abrupt changes to their morphology, hydrology, ecology, and biogeochemistry. In this review we show how changes to individual peatlands depend on both their Holocene developmental history and their location within current permafrost zones. Permafrost thaw in peatlands often leads to land surface collapse between 0.5 and 5 m, the so-called thermokarst. Thermokarst in peatlands can lead to the development of ice-wedge troughs, waterlogged thermokarst bogs and fens, and the initiation, expansion, and drainage of thermokarst lakes. Permafrost thaw in peatlands can thus completely alter vegetation composition and shift patterns of landscape inundation and hydrological connectivity. These changes in turn have implications for magnitude and timing of runoff, downstream water quality, habitat suitability for birds and larger mammals, traditional land-use, and the exchange of greenhouse gases with the atmosphere. Ongoing permafrost thaw is largely irreversible at relevant human time-scales, and peatland thermokarst has been accelerating over the last few decades. Complete permafrost loss is expected this century for peatlands in relatively warmer permafrost zones, and all peatlands in the northern permafrost region will be profoundly transformed by permafrost thaw.
... The West Siberian Plain covers thousands of square kilometres and is the world's largest mid/high-latitude wetland (Kremenetski et al., 2003) crossed by prominent rivers Ob and Yenisei. The Ob River is one of the largest rivers in the West Siberian Plain flowing into the Kara Sea of the Arctic Ocean. ...
... There is no present permafrost in the region (Bleuten and Filippov, 2008). The climate is continental (Kremenetski et al., 2003). The mean annual precipitation (for period ) is 544 mm. ...
... In the Atlantic period, the final retreat of Scandinavian Ice Sheet and weakening of the associated European High led to the formation of direct transfer of air masses eastwards from the Atlantic (Groisman et al., 2013). The flat relief of the vicinity of Ob River contributes to the poor drainage and induces the local floodings (Kremenetski et al., 2003). The extra input of precipitation/water to the Ob River and maybe limited infiltration may have caused the flooding in the study site area. ...
The hemispheric-scale climatic fluctuations during the Holocene have probably influenced the large Siberian rivers. However, detailed studies of the West Siberian Plain postglacial environmental change are scarce and the records of millennial-scale palaeohydrology are nearly absent. This paper presents the Holocene palaeoecological reconstruction based on the sedimentary record of Lake Svetlenkoye, located near the confluence of major Siberian rivers Ob and Irtysh. Postglacial history of flooding, dynamics of regional and local vegetation, sedimentation regime, geochemical changes and lake water pH were reconstructed based on multi-proxy studies. We used palaeobotanical (plant macrofossils, pollen, diatoms), geochemical (organic matter, total organic carbon and nitrogen content, carbon/nitrogen ratio) and chronological ( ¹⁴ C dates, spheroidal fly-ash particle counts) methods. The studied sediment section started to accumulate ~11,400 cal. yr BP. The initial shallow water body was flooded by Ob River waters ~8100–8000 cal. yr BP as confirmed by a remarkable increase in the sedimentation rate and the accumulation rate of the aquatic vegetation proxies. The period of flooding coincides with the high humidity periods reconstructed from regional palaeobotanical records. About 6800–6700 cal. yr BP, the study site became isolated from the Ob River floodplain and remained a small lake until present. The diatom-based lake water pH estimates suggest fluctuations in the pH values during the Holocene, the recent decrease since 1960s being the most notable. The vegetation record revealed constant postglacial presence of tree taxa – Betula, Pinus and Picea – although in different pollen ratios and accumulation rates through time. The paludification of the surroundings occurred since ca. 8500 cal. yr BP.
... Western Siberia is the world's largest wetland, which covers almost two-thirds of that region. At least one-half of Western Siberia, in fact, consists of peatlands that include different latitudinal bog zones (Neustadt and Selikson 1971;Ivanov and Novikov 1976;Zhulidov et al. 1997;Kremenetski et al. 2003). The development of the peatlands has had a large impact on land-use in Siberia from the Mesolithic period (Praslov 1984;Kremenetski et al. 2003). ...
... At least one-half of Western Siberia, in fact, consists of peatlands that include different latitudinal bog zones (Neustadt and Selikson 1971;Ivanov and Novikov 1976;Zhulidov et al. 1997;Kremenetski et al. 2003). The development of the peatlands has had a large impact on land-use in Siberia from the Mesolithic period (Praslov 1984;Kremenetski et al. 2003). ...
... Western Siberia is the world's largest wetland, which covers almost two-thirds of that region. At least one-half of Western Siberia, in fact, consists of peatlands that include different latitudinal bog zones (Neustadt and Selikson 1971;Ivanov and Novikov 1976;Zhulidov et al. 1997;Kremenetski et al. 2003). The development of the peatlands has had a large impact on land-use in Siberia from the Mesolithic period (Praslov 1984;Kremenetski et al. 2003). ...
... At least one-half of Western Siberia, in fact, consists of peatlands that include different latitudinal bog zones (Neustadt and Selikson 1971;Ivanov and Novikov 1976;Zhulidov et al. 1997;Kremenetski et al. 2003). The development of the peatlands has had a large impact on land-use in Siberia from the Mesolithic period (Praslov 1984;Kremenetski et al. 2003). ...
... Western Siberia is the world's largest wetland, which covers almost two-thirds of that region. At least one-half of Western Siberia, in fact, consists of peatlands that include different latitudinal bog zones (Neustadt and Selikson 1971;Ivanov and Novikov 1976;Zhulidov et al. 1997;Kremenetski et al. 2003). The development of the peatlands has had a large impact on land-use in Siberia from the Mesolithic period (Praslov 1984;Kremenetski et al. 2003). ...
... At least one-half of Western Siberia, in fact, consists of peatlands that include different latitudinal bog zones (Neustadt and Selikson 1971;Ivanov and Novikov 1976;Zhulidov et al. 1997;Kremenetski et al. 2003). The development of the peatlands has had a large impact on land-use in Siberia from the Mesolithic period (Praslov 1984;Kremenetski et al. 2003). ...
... Indeed, this is one of the most waterlogged places globally, where peatlands occupy depressions in local relief, vast watershed areas and floodplains [8]. It is estimated that West Siberian peatlands contain ∼20% of the total world peat deposits, with the highest concentration in the taiga zone (55°N to 65°N) [40,57]. Moreover, they hold a carbon stock of approximately 70.2 Pg, representing up to ∼26% of the total terrestrial organic carbon (held in soils, detritus and vegetation) accumulated since the Last Glacial Maximum [58,70]. ...
... West Siberian peatlands developed mainly during the early Holocene (11,500-9,000 cal yr BP) due to postglacial warming [40,58]. The rates of carbon accumulation ranged from 12 g m −2 yr −1 to 39 g m −2 yr −1 throughout the Holocene, depending on latitude. ...
We studied peat stratigraphy at the Mukhrino peatland, which is a typical ombrotrophic bog for the middle taiga zone of Western Siberia, to gain insights about its history, hydrology and carbon fluxes. Seven cores were collected from locations chosen to represent the typical present-day vegetation types, for dating of separated dissolved (DOC) and particulate (POC) organic carbon fractions using the Accelerator Mass Spectrometer (AMS) radiocarbon ($^{14}$C) method. The oldest peat was found at the bottoms of an underlying lake (10,053 cal. year BP) and an ancient riverbed (10,989 cal. year BP). For the whole history of the peatland the average peat accumulation rate was estimated to be 0.067±0.018 cm yr-1 (0.013-0.332 cm yr-1) and the carbon accumulation rate was 38.56±12.21 g m-2yr-1 (28.46–57.91 g m-2 yr-1). There were clear age differences between the separated samples of DOC and POC. DOC was older than POC in the uppermost 150 cm of the peat deposit, and younger in the deeper layers. The difference in age increased with depth, reaching 2,000–3,000 years at the bottom of the peat deposit (depth 430--530 cm). Following consideration of a range of factors that could potentially cause the dating discrepancy, we hypothesised that DOC continuously moves down into the mineral sediment beneath the peat, as an additional carbon flux that results in mixing of younger and older carbon. On this basis we estimated the apparent rate of DOC downward movement and the associated rate of carbon loss. The first estimate of the average rate of DOC downward movement in Western Siberia is 0.047±0.019 cm yr-1.
... The studied permafrost peatlands (palsa bogs e flat peat mounds with permafrost cores) are located near the Khanymei Research Station in the south-east of the Yamal-Nenets Autonomous District, Russia (63 43 0 N, 75 57 0 E, 70 m a.s.l.), at the northern border of the taiga subzone with open stands and woodlands ( Fig. 1). They are part of second largest wetland complex in the world e West Siberian Lowland, which extends from the Ural Mountains to the Middle Siberian Highland (Kremenetski et al., 2003). The two primary features of this region are discontinuous permafrost and thermokarst lakes. ...
... The formation of peatlands in Western Siberia started in the early Holocene (between 11,000 and 10,000 cal BP) due to the postglacial warming of northern Siberia (Kremenetski et al., 2003). Many previous studies have attributed the late start of peat accumulation to the ice sheet cover over Western Siberia in the last glacial period. ...
The vast areas of permafrost peatlands in the West Siberian Lowland (WSL) hold a significant amount of carbon currently at risk due to human-caused global warming. The rapid thawing of about 20-60% of the frozen soils of Western Siberia adds to the destruction of the region's signature palsa landscape and the development of thermokarst lakes or fens. Due to the complex interactions between climate and the ecosystem that shape its formation and degradation, permafrost reacts in different ways to environmental changes. Understanding recent changes in Western Siberia requires knowledge of previous environmental transitions, which needs to be enhanced further. This study, aimed to create a hydrological testate amoebae (TA) transfer function (TF) from the Khanymei area in the WSL to reconstruct past hydrological conditions in permafrost peatlands. In addition, this research intended to examine the influence of TA communities living in lichens (genus Cladonia) on the performance of TF by integrating these data with a calibration data set. In the summer of 2019, 76 modern samples of Sphagnum, Cladonia, and vascular plants from permafrost and non-permafrost sites were collected. Moreover, one peat core was extracted from the same area to reconstruct the depth to water table (DWT) quantitatively. The Shannon's diversity index, a quantitative measure of species richness, was calculated for each sample to estimate the TA species diversity in a community. Non-metric multidimensional scaling ordination was applied to the dataset to explore the similarities in TA communities between samples and determine whether the DWT controls the TA community structure. Results showed that the typical transition of TA species along the microtopographic (wet-dry) gradient is influenced by the presence of lichens on the surface of the peatland. Statistical analysis confirmed that TA communities in Cladonia are less affected by DWT. Therefore, the TF was constructed on the entire dataset (n = 75) and the dataset with Cladonia excluded (n = 55). Both these TFs showed satisfactory results. Even though the TF constructed on the entire dataset showed fewer predictive abilities, it provided a complete picture of the current vegetation conditions of Khanymei peatlands, where lichens are an essential element of the ecosystem. Therefore, it is assumed that TF with local environment traits may be more suitable for quantitative reconstruction, particularly in the newly explored permafrost area of Western Siberia.
... In general, the main period of the birth and development of the mires in the circumarctic regions in the Northern Hemisphere occurred/formed between 12,000 and 8000 yr BP [1,6,[68][69][70][71][72][73][74] The formation of mires is linked to global climate warming at the turn of the Late Pleistocene and Holocene [56,59,[75][76][77][78][79][80]. At the beginning of the Mid Holocene, there was a change in climatic conditions towards greater humidity with simultaneous warming, which created favorable conditions for intensive water-logging and peat accumulation. ...
... The studied bogs assumed their modern appearance in the period from 2200 to 300 yr BP. This period corresponds to the Late Holocene [1,68,69,71,72,74,79,102]. During this time, a slight cooling and an increase in precipitation intensified bog formation and peat accumulation in all mire biomes. ...
Based on the analysis of the botanical composition of the organic-mineral soil layer and peat, dendrochronological and radiocarbon datings, we performed the reconstruction of the development of six pine wooded sphagnum bogs located in the boreal zone of Russia. Most of the bogs under study followed the endogenesis patterns with the vegetation cover gradually changing, peat layer growing, substrate trophicity declining and shrub-sphagnous vegetation forming under modern conditions. Emerging pyrogenic layers and charcoals in the peat indicate that the study sites were constantly affected by fires, which periodically interrupted the endogenous development of the bogs, especially during the warmest Holocene periods.
... Under the forest stands Podzols and Stagnosols are formed, whereas the swampy areas are occupied by Histosols (Vasilevskaya et al., 1986). The thickness of peat layers varies in the range of 1-3 m (rarely up to 5 m), its accumulation started during the Pleistocene/Holocene transition, as shown by multiple radiocarbon datings (Kremenetski et al., 2003). ...
... Palynological indicators which show that soil source of moisture was more important than atmospheric one confirms the predominant role of ice wedge melting in generating hydromorphic conditions. We further speculate that the onset of peat accumulation on the northern part of the West Siberian plain could be also attributed to this enhancement of hydromorphism due to ice wedge degradation at the end of MIS 2. This could explain the fact that although majority of basal dates of the West Siberian peat deposits fits into the interval 11-8 ka cal BP, some of them yield ages of 12 ka cal BP and older (Kremenetski et al., 2003). Even as far to the north as on Belyi island in the Kara Sea peat horizons of 12 ka cal BP were found (Yurtaev et al., 2018). ...
Within the glacier-free scenario of the MIS 2 (Sartanian cryochron) environment in the north of West Siberia, it is important to search for the new regional paleoecological records and stratigraphic markers for this period. We studied large ice-wedge pseudomorphs filled with gleyic pedosediments developed on the high river terraces in the Nadym and Taz rivers basins as a tracer of the surface cryogenic and pedogenic processes during MIS 2. Field morphological observations and measurements, palynological analysis and radiocarbon dating of organic matter from soils and pedosediments were performed. Two sets of paleoecological indicators were discriminated: pseudomorph geometry evidence of the processes and conditions of ice wedge formation during the Last Glacial Maximum whereas the paleopedological and paleobotanic results from the fills recorded the environments of ice wedge melting at the end of MIS 2. Paleotemperatures 7–10 °C lower than at present are inferred during the major part of Sartanian, even at its end continuous permafrost persisted providing development of swampy tundra vegetation and cryohydromorphic palaeosols. We propose to define Taz-Nadym cryopedogenic horizon as a representative regional unit for MIS 2 and to correlate it with synchronous cryogenic and palaeosol units in Central and Eastern Europe.
... According to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), peaty soils refer to Histosols [5,8]. [7] and complementary facts [9][10][11][12][13][14][15][16][17][18]. ...
... In contrast, those located in subarctic regions are exposed to the specific impacts of seasonal frost variations, natural permafrost conditions, and permafrost deformation induced by climate change Figure 1. Distribution of peatlands worldwide [7] and complementary facts [9][10][11][12][13][14][15][16][17][18]. ...
Implementation of construction works on weak (e.g., compressible, collapsible, expansive) soils such as peatlands often is limited by logistics of equipment and shortage of available and applicable materials. If preloading or floating roads on geogrid reinforcement or piled embankments cannot be implemented, then soil stabilization is needed. Sustainable soil stabilization in an environmentally friendly way is recommended instead of applying known conventional methods such as pure cementing or excavation and a single replacement of soils. Substitution of conventional material (cement) and primary raw material (lime) with secondary raw material (waste and byproducts from industries) corresponds to the Sustainable Development Goals set by the United Nations, preserves resources, saves energy, and reduces greenhouse gas emissions. Besides traditional material usage, soil stabilization is achievable through various secondary raw materials (listed according to their groups and subgroups): 1. thermally treated waste products: 1.1. ashes from agriculture production; 1.2. ashes from energy production; 1.3. ashes from various manufacturing; 1.4. ashes from waste processing; 1.5. high carbon content pyrolysis products; 2. untreated waste and new products made from secondary raw materials: 2.1. waste from municipal waste biological treatment and landfills; 2.2. waste from industries; 3. new products made from secondary raw materials: 3.1. composite materials. Efficient solutions in environmental engineering may eliminate excessive amounts of waste and support innovation in the circular economy for sustainable future.
... These habitats are a major pool of stored carbon and a significant com-ponent in planetary carbon sequestration and emission calculations. Palaeoenvironmental data on the impact of the past climatic change on the peatlands can help anticipate the effects of global warming (Kremenetski et al. 2003). In addition to providing important ecosystem services-such as biomass production, supply of food sources and nitrogen and carbon cycling-peatlands are also heterogeneous habitats, where plants and animals must cope with increasing levels of abiotic disturbance (Liss et al. 2001). ...
... Most of the area is occupied by forested peatlands, which support small scattered trees, such as larch, pine and birch. Floodplains of the Ob' and Tom' Rivers are covered mainly by sedge and grass meadows (Kremenetski et al. 2003). The inspected bog is dominated by oligotrophic vascular plants (Carex rostrata, Eriophorum vaginatum) and Sphagnum mosses. ...
This work deals with six species of oribatid mites recovered from a sedge-moss bog (Carex-Eriophorum-Sphagnum association), located in the south of Western Siberia, Russia. Two species, Banksinoma exobothridialis and Banksinoma longisetosa (Thyrisomidae) are new to the fauna of Russia. This finding is interesting in regards to the biogeography and the habitat ecology of both species. Two other relatively rare species of Trhypochthoniidae have been found: Mainothrus badius, which is recorded for the first time in Asia; and Trhypochthonius nigricans, recorded for the first time in Western Siberia. In addition, Holarctic species Suctobelbella palustris (Suctobelbidae) and Limnozetes ciliatus (Limnozetidae) are reported with supplementary descriptions and illustrations. In this article, we discuss the distribution and habitat ecology of each of the above species.
... The study was carried out in the southern taiga subzone of western Siberia, where mires cover about 40% of the landscape (Kremenetski et al. 2003) (Fig. 1). The region is characterized by a continental climate (Kremenetski et al. 2003), with a mean annual temperature of -0.4°C. ...
... The study was carried out in the southern taiga subzone of western Siberia, where mires cover about 40% of the landscape (Kremenetski et al. 2003) (Fig. 1). The region is characterized by a continental climate (Kremenetski et al. 2003), with a mean annual temperature of -0.4°C. The coldest month is January, with a mean temperature of -19.3°C, and the warmest month is July, with a mean temperature of ? ...
We evaluated the feasibility of using testate amoebae to infer the quantitative paleohydrology of ombrotrophic mires during their early stages (fen and fen-bog transition) of development. Two transfer functions, one derived from ombrotrophic and the other from minerotrophic mires, were applied to a peat core from an ombrotrophic mire in a taiga region of west Siberia. An ombrotrophic transfer function was applied to the bog stage of mire development. In contrast, ombrotrophic and minerotrophic transfer functions were applied independently to infer water table depth in the fen and fen-bog transition stages. Results of the two approaches for calculating water table depth during the fen and fen-bog transition stages differed by as much as 38 cm for the same peat sample. The main reason for this discrepancy is presence of testate amoeba taxa (e.g. Centropyxis aculeata, Cyclopyxis eurystoma, Cyclopyxis eurystoma v. parvula) in the peat that inhabit both modern ombrotrophic and minerotrophic mires, but differ substantially, in cases by > 20 cm, in terms of their water table depth optima in the ombrotrophic and minerotrophic mire calibration data sets. This difference in inferred water table depth also stems, to a lesser degree, from the fact that the ombrotrophic mire model does not include taxa that inhabited exclusively minerotrophic mires in the fen and fen-bog transition stages. Given these findings, we propose that different models be used for different stages of development, to reconstruct past water table depth in ombrotrophic mires. We recommend use of a model based solely on the ombrotrophic mire data set for the bog stage, and application of a second model based on the minerotrophic mire data set, for the fen and fen-bog transition stages. Application of an ombrotrophic model to the early stages of bog development can yield erroneous paleohydrological reconstructions.
... While peatlands are found almost in every country, a third of all peatlands are concentrated in a few large continuous peatland areas (Kirpotin et al. 2021). The object of this study is peat soils and peatlands in northwestern Siberia, where the whole area is highly paludified, with up to 50-70% of the land covered by peat soils that have developed here since the end of the Last Glacial Period (Kremenetski et al. 2003). ...
The paper represents the first DNA-based occurrence dataset on peatland fungal communities published for north-western Siberia, the first for Russia and complements several existing datasets on metabarcoding of peat soils globally.
The aim of the present publication is to describe the first DNA-based occurrence dataset on fungal communities in peat soils and other substrates studied by the eDNA approach in the Mukhrino raised bog, located in a large paludified area of north-western Siberia. A comparison of the species diversity of larger fungi identified by the conventional approach and by eDNA showed a high proportion of shared taxa. Other groups (mainly Ascomycota), described by metabarcoding, revealed high diversity compared with conventional observation. Overall, the species richness identified in one peatland locality (the Mukhrino Bog) was comparable in number of species to the global estimation of fungal diversity in peatlands, previously reported in literature.
... The environmental space of peatlands captured by PEATMAP is similar to the environmental space of the whole TP region. For example, PEATMAP shows that peatlands exist in areas with extremely low precipitation and MI (as low as 30 mm in MAP and 0.1 in moisture index (MI)), where such dry conditions should have inhibited peatland formation and persistence21 . However, the Zoige peatland complex and the literature-based TP peatlands sites present a range of MI values from 1.7 to 2.4, corresponding to values commonly found for other peatlands regions in the world 1 . ...
The Tibetan Plateau (TP) hosts a variety of mountain peatlands that are sensitive to the amplified warming in this region. However, we still lack a basic understanding of environmental and climatic factors controlling peatland distribution in the region. Here we use a bioclimatic envelope model (PeatStash) and environmental analysis that utilise three peatland datasets—(a) the well-studied Zoige peatland complex, (b) a literature-based dataset of TP peatlands sites, and (c) an existing global peatland map (PEATMAP)—to investigate major drivers of peatland distribution in the TP. The Zoige peatland complex is defined by gentle slopes (< 2°), mean annual temperature at 0–2 °C, and soil moisture index > 1.7, much narrower thresholds than those stemming from PEATMAP. Using these narrower thresholds to predict future changes, we found that the Zoige peatland complex will shrink greatly under full-range future warming scenarios (both SSP1–2.6 and SSP5–8.5). Modelling peatland distribution in the entire TP remains challenging because accurate environmental and climate data at high resolution and a reliable peatland distribution map are still lacking. Improved peatland mapping supported by ground-truthing is necessary to understand drivers of peatland distribution, assess carbon storage and other ecosystem services, and predict the TP’s peatlands fate under climate change.
... Mean annual precipitation is 553 mm (Kremenetski et al., 2003). ...
In northern peatlands, reduction of Sphagnum dominance in favour of vascular vegetation is likely to influence biogeochemical processes. Such vegetation changes occur as the water table lowers and temperatures rise. To test which of these factors has a significant influence on peatland vegetation, we conducted a 3‐year manipulative field experiment in Linje mire (northern Poland). We manipulated the peatland water table level (wet, intermediate and dry; on average the depth of the water table was 17.4, 21.2 and 25.3 cm respectively), and we used open‐top chambers (OTCs) to create warmer conditions (on average increase of 1.2°C in OTC plots compared to control plots). Peat drying through water table lowering at this local scale had a larger effect than OTC warming treatment per see on Sphagnum mosses and vascular plants. In particular, ericoid shrubs increased with a lower water table level, while Sphagnum decreased. Microclimatic measurements at the plot scale indicated that both water‐level and temperature, represented by heating degree days (HDDs), can have significant effects on the vegetation. In a large‐scale complementary vegetation gradient survey replicated in three peatlands positioned along a transitional oceanic–continental and temperate–boreal (subarctic) gradient (France–Poland–Western Siberia), an increase in ericoid shrubs was marked by an increase in phenols in peat pore water, resulting from higher phenol concentrations in vascular plant biomass. Our results suggest a shift in functioning from a mineral‐N‐driven to a fungi‐mediated organic‐N nutrient acquisition with shrub encroachment. Both ericoid shrub encroachment and higher mean annual temperature in the three sites triggered greater vascular plant biomass and consequently the dominance of decomposers (especially fungi), which led to a feeding community dominated by nematodes. This contributed to lower enzymatic multifunctionality. Our findings illustrate mechanisms by which plants influence ecosystem responses to climate change, through their effect on microbial trophic interactions.
... The global distribution of non-floodplain wetlands is widespread, though they were found to comprise a higher proportion of wetlands within more northern Hy-droBASINS watersheds (i.e., higher abundances in formerly glaciated basins), as demonstrated in Fig. 7. The Arctic portion of northern Canada and Alaska (21.7 %) and Siberian Russia (17.4 %), typically underlain by permafrost and frequently inundated or saturated due to poor drainage evolution (Kremenetski et al., 2003;Robarts et al., 2013;Olefeldt et al., 2021), had the greatest percent of non-floodplain wetlands. Africa (5.4 %) and Greenland (1.0 %, excluding ice sheets) had the least abundance of non-floodplain wetlands. ...
Non-floodplain wetlands – those located outside the floodplains – have emerged as integral components to watershed resilience, contributing hydrologic and biogeochemical functions affecting watershed-scale flooding extent, drought magnitude, and water-quality maintenance. However, the absence of a global dataset of non-floodplain wetlands limits their necessary incorporation into water quality and quantity management decisions and affects wetland-focused wildlife habitat conservation outcomes. We addressed this critical need by developing a publicly available “Global NFW” (Non-Floodplain Wetland) dataset, comprised of a global river–floodplain map at 90 m resolution coupled with a global ensemble wetland map incorporating multiple wetland-focused data layers. The floodplain, wetland, and non-floodplain wetland spatial data developed here were successfully validated within 21 large and heterogenous basins across the conterminous United States. We identified nearly 33 million potential non-floodplain wetlands with an estimated global extent of over 16×106 km2. Non-floodplain wetland pixels comprised 53 % of globally identified wetland pixels, meaning the majority of the globe's wetlands likely occur external to river floodplains and coastal habitats. The identified global NFWs were typically small (median 0.039 km2), with a global median size ranging from 0.018–0.138 km2. This novel geospatial Global NFW static dataset advances wetland conservation and resource-management goals while providing a foundation for global non-floodplain wetland functional assessments, facilitating non-floodplain wetland inclusion in hydrological, biogeochemical, and biological model development. The data are freely available through the United States Environmental Protection Agency's Environmental Dataset Gateway (https://gaftp.epa.gov/EPADataCommons/ORD/Global_NonFloodplain_Wetlands/, last access: 24 May 2023) and through https://doi.org/10.23719/1528331 (Lane et al., 2023a).
... Average carbon stock in the biomass of boreal forests in the Ob catchment area is the highest among the surveyed watersheds reaching 100 t C ha − 1 in the middle flow zone (Filipchuk et al., 2020). The West Siberian lowland, situated in the Ob catchment area, is the largest high-latitude wetland in the world with a forestmarsh zone of about 1800000 km 2 , which covers almost 2/3 of the West Siberia lowland territory (Kremenetski et al., 2003;Olefeldt et al., 2021). The Vasyugan Mire occupying 55,000 km 2 is the largest swamp in the northern hemisphere and is a giant store of organic carbon. ...
... There are multiple features that make the WSL a unique test site for studying riverine export of material. Initially, it stores a sizeable amount of organic carbon (OC) in thawed and frozen peat [51]. This OC can be mobilized to the river and become biodegradable [52] thus enhancing the CO 2 emissions from the territory [53]. ...
Despite the importance of river suspended matter (RSM) for carbon, nutrient, and trace metal transfer from the land to the ocean, the mineralogical control on major and trace element speciation in the RSM remains poorly constrained. To gain a better understanding of environmental and seasonal factors controlling the mineral and chemical composition of riverine suspended load, we studied, over several hydrological seasons, including winter baseflow, the RSM of a large boreal river in Western Siberia (Ob in its middle course) and its two small tributaries. The concentration of RSM increased from 2–18 mg/L in winter to 15–105 mg L−1 during the spring flood. Among the dominant mineral phases of the RSM in the Ob River, quartz (20–40%), albite (4–18%), smectite (2–14%), and chlorite (6–16%) increased their relative proportions with an increase in discharge in the order “winter ≤ summer < spring flood”; illite (5–15%) was not affected by seasons or discharge, whereas the abundance of calcite (0–30%) decreased with discharge, from winter to summer and spring. Seasonal variation of elemental composition of the Ob River’s RSM allowed distinguishing three main groups of elements. Sodium, K, Si, Al, trivalent, and tetravalent hydrolysates increased their concentrations in the RSM with an increase in discharge, reflecting enhanced contribution of lithogenic material during high flow, whereas the concentration of alkaline-earth metals (Ca, Sr, Ba), P, Mn, and As decreased with discharge, reflecting accumulation of these elements in the suspended matter under ice. At the same time, a number of nutrients and trace elements demonstrated progressive accumulation in the RSM during winter (Ca, P, Cu, Zn, Mo, As, Cd, Sb). Micronutrients (V, Co), Fe, and Cr exhibited a minimum during summer, which could reflect both the uptake of these elements by the biota during baseflow (micronutrients) and their enhanced export during winter and spring compared to summer (Fe). The RSM of small tributaries demonstrated quite a different pattern compared to the Ob River main stem. Maximal concentration of suspended matter was observed at low discharges during the winter. During this period, the RSM was dominated by amorphous Fe hydroxides. Overall, the obtained results confirm the overwhelming impact of peatlands on element export in suspended form in small rivers of Western Siberia, and strong seasonal variations of both mineralogy and chemistry of the RSM in the Ob River main stem. Elemental yields (watershed-normalized export), assessed for the first time for the middle course of the Ob River and tributaries, were shifted towards the more important role of particulate vs. dissolved export for a number of trace elements, compared to that of the small and medium-sized rivers of Western Siberia, draining the taiga forest and peatlands of the boreal zone. The contrasting pattern of RSM chemical composition across the year demonstrated the importance of seasonal approach for sampling river suspended matter and calls a need for addressing strongly understudied RSM sources during winter baseflow, under ice.
... One of the best studied example is Western Siberian Lowland (WSL), located in the gradient of climate and permafrost zones at essentially the same lithological background, minimal variations in river runoff and relief and moderate to negligible anthropogenic activity. The interest of the WSL is that it contains huge peat resources and presents rather shallow, essentially discontinuous to sporadic/isolated permafrost, highly vulnerable to thawing [5][6][7][8][9][10]. For this relatively large territory (2 million km²), extensive studies of small [11][12][13][14][15][16][17][18][19] and large [20] river dissolved, colloidal and particulate load, chemical composition of soil ice and suprapermafrost waters [21][22][23][24] and gaseous regime of rivers and lakes [25][26][27] have been performed. ...
Towards a better understanding of vegetation, permafrost, climate, landscape and lithology control on major and trace element (including macro and micro-nutrients and toxicants) transport in riverine systems, we studied two medium size (100-150 thousand km² watershed area) pristine rivers (Taz and Ket) of boreal and subarctic zone, western Siberia. Choosing the river basins of very low population density (< 1 people km-²) in the absence of any industrial or agricultural activity allowed testing the sole effect of natural factors and long-range atmospheric transfer on hydrochemistry of riverine solutes during the open water period. In the permafrost-bearing Taz River (main stem and 17 tributaries), sizable control of vegetation on element concentration was revealed. In particular, light coniferous and broadleaf mixed forest controlled DOC, and some nutrients (N, Mn, Fe, Mo, Cd, Ba); deciduous needleleaf forest positively correlated with macronutrients (P, Si, Mg, P, Ca) and Sr, and dark needle-leaf forest impacted Ntot, Al and Rb. Organic C stock in the upper 30-100 cm soil positively correlated with Be, Mn, Co, Mo, Cd, Sb, and Bi. The lithological control was generally poorly pronounced, due to abundant peat deposits overlaying the mineral strata. However, cretaceous carbonate mineral-bearing sedimentary deposits positively impacted the pH and concentration of Si, Mg, Ca and Cs. In the Ket River basin (large right tributary of the Ob River), we revealed the correlations between the phytomass stock at the watershed and alkaline-earth metals and U concentration in the river water. This control was weakly pronounced during high-water period (spring flood) and mostly evidenced during summer low water period.
... An example is Western Siberian Lowland (WSL), located in the gradient of climate and permafrost zones within essentially the same lithological background, minimal variations in river runoff and relief and moderate to negligible anthropogenic activity. The interest of the WSL is that it contains huge peat resources and presents rather shallow, essentially discontinuous to sporadic/isolated permafrost, highly vulnerable to thawing [7][8][9][10]. For this relatively large territory (2 million km 2 ), extensive studies of small [11][12][13][14][15][16][17][18][19] and large [20] river dissolved, colloidal and particulate load, chemical composition of soil ice and suprapermafrost waters [21][22][23][24], and gaseous regime of rivers and lakes [25][26][27] have been performed. ...
We studied two medium size pristine rivers (Taz and Ket) of boreal and subarctic zone, western Siberia, for a better understanding of the environmental factors controlling major and trace element transport in riverine systems. Our main objective was to test the impact of climate and land cover parameters (permafrost, vegetation, water coverage, soil organic carbon, and lithology) on carbon, major and trace element concentration in the main stem and tributaries of each river separately and when considering them together, across contrasting climate/permafrost zones. In the permafrost-bearing Taz River (main stem and 17 tributaries), sizable control of vegetation on element concentration was revealed. In particular, light coniferous and broadleaf mixed forest controlled DOC, and some nutrients (NO2, NO3, Mn, Fe, Mo, Cd, Ba), deciduous needle-leaf forest positively correlated with macronutrients (PO4, Ptot, Si, Mg, P, Ca) and Sr, and dark needle-leaf forest impacted Ntot, Al, and Rb. Organic C stock in the upper 30–100 cm soil positively correlated with Be, Mn, Co, Mo, Cd, Sb, and Bi. In the Ket River basin (large right tributary of the Ob River) and its 26 tributaries, we revealed a correlation between the phytomass stock at the watershed and alkaline-earth metals and U concentration in the river water. This control was weakly pronounced during high-water period (spring flood) and mostly occurred during summer low water period. Pairwise correlations between elements in both river systems demonstrated two group of solutes—(1) positively correlated with DIC (Si, alkalis (Li, Na), alkaline-earth metals (Mg, Ca, Sr, Ba), and U), this link originated from groundwater feeding of the river when the labile elements were leached from soluble minerals such as carbonates; and (2) elements positively correlated with DOC (trivalent, tetravalent, and other hydrolysates, Se and Cs). This group reflected mobilization from upper silicate mineral soil profile and plant litter, which was strongly facilitated by element colloidal status, notably for low-mobile geochemical tracers. The observed DOC vs DIC control on riverine transport of low-soluble and highly mobile elements, respectively, is also consistent with former observations in both river and lake waters of the WSL as well as in soil waters and permafrost ice. A principal component analysis demonstrated three main factors potentially controlling the major and TE concentrations. The first factor, responsible for 26% of overall variation, included aluminum and other low mobile trivalent and tetravalent hydrolysates, Be, Cr, Nb, and elements strongly complexed with DOM such as Cu and Se. This factor presumably reflected the presence of organo-mineral colloids, and it was positively affected by the proportion of forest and organic C in soils of the watershed. The second factor (14% variation) likely represented a combined effect of productive litter in larch forest growing on carbonate-rich rocks and groundwater feeding of the rivers and acted on labile Na, Mg, Si, Ca, P, and Fe(II), but also DOC, micronutrients (Zn, Rb, Ba), and phytomass at the watershed. Via applying a substituting space for time approach for south-north gradient of studied river basins, we predict that climate warming in northern rivers may double or triple the concentration of DIC, Ca, Sr, U, but also increase the concentration of DOC, POC, and nutrients.
... Despite the similar DOC concentrations in the Ob and Lena River basins, the sources of DOC in these two rivers are different probably due to their extents of permafrost. Compared with the Δ 14 C-enriched DOC in the Lena River, the relatively depleted Δ 14 C values in the Ob River indicate that the streamflow therein may contain a higher percentage of DOC originating from water that has interacted more with soils containing old organic carbon , in particular with the peat accumulations more than 200 cm thick that first developed at the end of the Last Glacial Period (Kremenetski et al., 2003). Therefore, both the Ob and the Lena River basins have high DOC concentrations. ...
Climate warming is accelerating the release of voluminous organic carbon from thawing permafrost into the Arctic Ocean via riverine transport. However, the seasonal variations in riverine dissolved organic carbon (DOC) exports in Arctic river basins with different areal extents of permafrost and how changes in water temperature (Tw) impact seasonal DOC exports are not fully understood. In this study, the concentrations, ages and seasonality of riverine DOC in the estuaries of six major Arctic rivers (Ob, Yenisei, Lena, Kolyma, Yukon and Mackenzie) were analysed using Arctic Great Rivers Observatory (ArcticGRO) datasets from 2003 to 2019. The results showed that DOC concentrations generally increased with the increases in the streamflow, but always dropped to the minimum with the oldest Δ14C-DOC ages (as old as 1650 years BP) in the freezing period (November–April), when the streamflow originates predominantly from groundwater. During the flood pulse period (May or June), a rapid increase in riverine DOC concentration with younger organic carbon (Δ14C values from -61 to 152‰) was observed, likely associated with snowmelt-dominated runoff regimes (lower δ18O-H2O of approximately -20.4±1.6‰). During the ice-free period (June–September), DOC concentrations decreased due to the enhanced dilution of streamflow from precipitation. In the Lena and Kolyma River basins with large areal extents of continuous permafrost, over 70% of DOC flux exported during the ice-free period originated from DOC sources from ∼410 years and ∼ 230 years BP to the present, respectively; this suggests that greater permafrost extents restrict the release of older DOC into rivers. However, riverine DOC exports likely respond positively to changes in Tw during the ice-free period. In addition, such a positive response is likely to be enhanced in basins with larger percentages of sporadic permafrost, thicker active layers, more precipitation and less soil organic carbon. Ultimately, under a warming climate, riverine DOC exports are expected to rise with increasing river water temperatures.
... When these mounds are joined to cover a larger area, they are known as peat plateaus. Palsas and peat plateaus are found in the discontinuous and sporadic permafrost zones and are also widespread, albeit not to the extent of polygons Kremenetski et al., 2003;Fewster et al., 2020). While it is hard to get an estimate for the total extent of palsas and peat plateaus, permafrost peatlands are estimated to cover 1.7 million square kilometres (Hugelius et al., 2020). ...
Microtopography can be a key driver of heterogeneity in the ground thermal
and hydrological regime of permafrost landscapes. In turn, this
heterogeneity can influence plant communities, methane fluxes, and the
initiation of abrupt thaw processes. Here we have implemented a two-tile
representation of microtopography in JULES (the Joint UK Land Environment
Simulator), where tiles are representative of repeating patterns of
elevation difference. Tiles are coupled by lateral flows of water, heat, and
redistribution of snow, and a surface water store is added to represent
ponding. Simulations are performed of two Siberian polygon sites, (Samoylov
and Kytalyk) and two Scandinavian palsa sites (Stordalen and Iškoras).
The model represents the observed differences between greater snow depth in
hollows vs. raised areas well. The model also improves soil moisture for
hollows vs. the non-tiled configuration (“standard JULES”) though the raised
tile remains drier than observed. The modelled differences in snow depths
and soil moisture between tiles result in the lower tile soil temperatures
being warmer for palsa sites, as in reality. However, when comparing the
soil temperatures for July at 20 cm depth, the difference in temperature
between tiles, or “temperature splitting”, is smaller than observed (3.2 vs.
5.5 ∘C). Polygons display small (0.2 ∘C)
to zero temperature splitting, in agreement with observations. Consequently,
methane fluxes are near identical (+0 % to 9 %) to those for standard
JULES for polygons, although they can be greater than standard JULES for palsa
sites (+10 % to 49 %).
Through a sensitivity analysis we quantify the relative importance of model
processes with respect to soil moisture and temperatures, identifying which
parameters result in the greatest uncertainty in modelled temperature.
Varying the palsa elevation between 0.5 and 3 m has little effect on
modelled soil temperatures, showing that using only two tiles can still be a
valid representation of sites with a range of palsa elevations. Mire
saturation is heavily dependent on landscape-scale drainage. Lateral
conductive fluxes, while small, reduce the temperature splitting by
∼ 1 ∘C and correspond to the order of
observed lateral degradation rates in peat plateau regions, indicating
possible application in an area-based thaw model.
... Most of these researchers believed that, since the Atlantic time, the proportion of forests in the forest-steppe had not change significantly, that is, the forest and the steppe boundary had been stable. It was later established that the age of examined peatlands in the southern part of WS rarely exceed 4.0 ka (see discussion in Kremenetski et al., 2003;Orlova, 1990), and most of the peatlands are unsuitable to restore the vegetation of the early and middle Holocene. Studies of proxy records of lacustrine sediments in the southern part of WS also mainly cover the mid to late Holocene (Khazin and Khazina, 2008;Khazin et al., 2016;Krivonogov et al., 2012aKrivonogov et al., , 2012bRudaya et al., 2012), except for only a few sites (Borisova et al., 2005;Ryabogina et al., 2019;Zhilich et al., 2017), older than 8 ka. ...
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Lacustrine-peat sediments from the Oskino-09 borehole in Western Siberia, which span the last 7.5 cal ka BP, were sampled for pollen and plant macro-remains to better understand regional climatic changes and the position of the forest-steppe border. Analysis of palynological assemblages indicate that meadow-steppe landscapes occupied the largest area in the middle of the Holocene (7.5–4.7 cal ka BP) due to reduced effective moisture during a warm climate interval. A subsequent gradual decrease in temperatures and evaporation led to an increase in effective moisture and emergence of birch groves during 4.7–2.0 cal ka BP, with short interruptions at ca. 3.3 and 2.5 cal ka BP. The expansion of pine forests and the advance of taiga to the south were recorded at ca. 2.0 cal ka BP. There is little evidence for significant human impact on forest-steppe belt evolution, and specifically evidence for anthropogenic deforestation on the southern border of the taiga is lacking. Human activities did not start to impact forests until the emergence of semi-nomadic cattle breeding in the Iron Age. A methodological finding of this paper is that we show that the Landscape Reconstruction Algorithm (LRA) is not always reliable and often overestimates forested areas.
... While peatlands in other parts of the world have been mapped and studied in great detail (see e.g. Kremenetski et al., 2003;Tanneberger et al., 2017;Xu et al., 2018), research on Amazonian peatlands has emerged only relatively recently (Lähteenoja et al., 2009), and very little is known about their socio-cultural importance (but see: Martín Brañas et al., 2019;Schulz et al., 2019aSchulz et al., , 2019b. The documentation of indigenous knowledge from these wetland areas is thus useful to help scientists and policy-makers concerned about wetland conservation from a global climate perspective, and who may wish to identify synergies for conservation with the knowledge of the people who interact with these ecosystems on a daily basis (e.g. ...
Globally, the importance of indigenous and local knowledge systems for science, policy, environmental conservation and the cultural heritage of indigenous peoples is increasingly being recognised. The Amazon region in particular is home to many indigenous peoples who have conserved their cultural traditions and knowledge, despite growing threats to the environment and traditional lifestyles and cultures. Based on insights from ethnographic research in three indigenous communities, here we present a case study on the indigenous knowledge of the Urarina people of the Chambira Basin in the Peruvian Amazon and its implications for conservation. We describe, for the first time, a series of anthropomorphic and territorial "wetland spirits", who are associated with particular wetland ecosystems and range in character from the benign to outright aggressive. Their presence may indirectly benefit conservation of wetlands, as humans fear or respect these wetland spirits and adapt their behaviour accordingly. While benign spirits may be seen as positive models to follow, aggressive spirits may deter unsustainable harvesting of resources through fear of disease or death. However, their cultural status is not adequately captured by such rational-scientific explanations. Wetland spirits are important characters within the indigenous cosmos of humans and non-humans, which is built on a relational, rather than extractive model of connecting humans and nature. We discuss our findings in the context of wider conceptual debates on recognising relational ontologies in environmental policy and conservation, the paradigm of biocultural conservation, as well as their implications for land titling, and incorporating indigenous perspectives in local education.
... Global C storage in peatlands is 530 ± 160 Pg C, and 80% of this storage occurs in northern peatlands (Hugelius et al., 2020). The western Siberian Lowland (WSL) contains a vast amount of carbon (70 Pg, Sheng et al., 2004) in the form of massive 1-3 m thick peat deposits, most of which are currently frozen (Kremenetski et al., 2003;Smith et al., 2004). The frozen peat in the WSL is highly vulnerable to thawing; permafrost temperatures in these regions are close to zero and zones of sporadic to discontinuous, rather than continuous, permafrost prevail (Romanovsky et al., 2010). ...
In contrast to good knowledge of dissolved organic matter (DOM) adsorption on mineral soils in temperate climate, the behavior of DOM in frozen mineral horizons located under peat soils of permafrost-affected regions remains poorly characterized. Yet, these regions contain sizeable and potentially highly labile pools of organic (peat) carbon (C) that may migrate downwards across mineral layers in case of massive thaw in frozen peatlands induced by on-going climate warming. To quantify these pools and the lability of DOM in permafrost peat soils, we performed experiments focusing on dissolved organic carbon (DOC) desorption from, and adsorption onto, mineral horizons (iron-poor and iron-rich sands as well as silt loam) from the largest frozen peatland in the world, the Western Siberia Lowland (WSL). Desorbed DOC ranged between 0.1 and 0.6 mg C gsoil⁻¹ depending on type of mineral substrate. The adsorption of peat leachate DOM ranged between 0.1 and 0.5 mg C gsoil⁻¹ being highest in Al-Fe-rich mineral horizons.
Field measurements of C pools in peat and underlying mineral horizons over 1 m depth in the discontinuous permafrost zone yielded 47 and 15 kg C m⁻², respectively. The organic carbon (OC) adsorption capacity of the 1 m – thick mineral layers represented <2% of total amount of OC containing in the 1 m – thick peat layer. However, this adsorption capacity is comparable to the amount of DOC that can be leached from overlaying peat horizons (18%). On average, out of 1.38 ± 0.13 kg C m⁻² capable of being initially released from the upper 0–100 cm of peat, 0.25 ± 0.19 kg C m⁻² can be adsorbed by the underlying 100–200 cm of Fe- and Al-rich sands and clays. The remaining 1.13 kg C m⁻² can be exported to lakes and rivers. Therefore, DOC released during peat thaw in upper soil horizons in permafrost regions can be sizably attenuated via adsorption on mineral layers. This should be taken into account when modeling the feedback of permafrost thaw on C export and CO2 emissions.
... While Bogs and Fens had similarities in their spatial distributions, there was also a relative shift in dominance from Bogs to Fens in relatively colder and drier climates (Fig. S3). These trends are supported by bog-tofen transitions observed both within and between regions (Packalen et al., 2016;Vitt et al., 2000a;Väliranta et al., 2017) but may not be universal (Kremenetski et al., 2003). Marshes were also found in warmer climates and largely associated with Bogs and Fens but with a more evenly spread distribution. ...
Methane emissions from boreal and arctic wetlands, lakes, and rivers are expected to increase in response to warming and associated permafrost thaw. However, the lack of appropriate land cover datasets for scaling field-measured methane emissions to circumpolar scales has contributed to a large uncertainty for our understanding of present-day and future methane emissions. Here we present the Boreal–Arctic Wetland and Lake Dataset (BAWLD), a land cover dataset based on an expert assessment, extrapolated using random forest modelling from available spatial datasets of climate, topography, soils, permafrost conditions, vegetation, wetlands, and surface water extents and dynamics. In BAWLD, we estimate the fractional coverage of five wetland, seven lake, and three river classes within 0.5 × 0.5∘ grid cells that cover the northern boreal and tundra biomes (17 % of the global land surface). Land cover classes were defined using criteria that ensured distinct methane emissions among classes, as indicated by a co-developed comprehensive dataset of methane flux observations. In BAWLD, wetlands occupied 3.2 × 106 km2 (14 % of domain) with a 95 % confidence interval between 2.8 and 3.8 × 106 km2. Bog, fen, and permafrost bog were the most abundant wetland classes, covering ∼ 28 % each of the total wetland area, while the highest-methane-emitting marsh and tundra wetland classes occupied 5 % and 12 %, respectively. Lakes, defined to include all lentic open-water ecosystems regardless of size, covered 1.4 × 106 km2 (6 % of domain). Low-methane-emitting large lakes (>10 km2) and glacial lakes jointly represented 78 % of the total lake area, while high-emitting peatland and yedoma lakes covered 18 % and 4 %, respectively. Small (
... When these mounds are joined to cover a larger area, they are known as peat plateaus. Palsas / peat plateaus are found in the discontinuous and sporadic permafrost zones, and are also widespread, though not to the extent of polygons Kremenetski et al., 2003;Fewster et al., 2020). While it is hard to get an estimate for the total extent of palsas and peat plateaus, permafrost peatlands 95 are estimated to cover 1.7 million km 2 . ...
Microtopography can be a key driver of heterogeneity in the ground thermal and hydrological regime of permafrost landscapes. In turn, this heterogeneity can influence plant communities, methane fluxes and the initiation of abrupt thaw processes. Here we have implemented a two-tile representation of microtopography in JULES (the Joint UK Land Environment Simulator), where tiles are representative of repeating patterns of elevation difference. We evaluate the model against available spatially resolved observations at four sites, gauge the importance of explicitly representing microtopography for modelling methane emissions and quantify the relative importance of model processes and the model’s sensitivity its parameters. Tiles are coupled by lateral flows of water, heat and redistribution of snow. A surface water store is added to represent ponding. The model is parametrised using characteristic dimensions of landscape features at sites. Simulations are performed of two Siberian polygon sites, Samoylov and Kytalyk, and two Scandinavian palsa sites, Stordalen and Iškoras. The model represents the observed differences between greater snow depth in hollows vs raised areas well. The model also improves soil moisture for hollows vs the non-tiled configuration (‘standard JULES’) though the raised tile remains drier than observed. For the two palsa sites, it is found that drainage needs to be impeded from the lower tile, representing the non-permafrost mire, to achieve the observed soil saturation. This demonstrates the need for the landscape-scale drainage to be correctly modelled. Causes of moisture heterogeneity between tiles are decreased runoff from the low tile, differences in snowmelt, and high to low-tile water flow. Unsaturated flows between tiles are negligible, suggesting the adequacy of simpler water-table based models of lateral flow in wetland environments. The modelled differences in snow depths and soil moistures between tiles result in the lower tile soil temperatures being warmer for palsa sites. When comparing the soil temperatures for July at 20 cm depth, the difference in temperature between tiles, or ‘temperature splitting’, is smaller than observed (3.2 vs 5.5 °C). The mean temperature of the two tiles remains approximately unchanged (+0.4 °C) vs standard JULES, and lower than observations. Polygons display small (0.2 °C) to zero temperature splitting, in agreement with observations. Consequently, methane fluxes are near identical (+0 to 9 %) to those for standard JULES for polygons, though can be greater than standard JULES for palsa sites (+10 to 49 %). Through a sensitivity analysis we identify the parameters resulting in the greatest uncertainty in modelled temperature. We find that at the sites tested, varying the parameters can result in the modelled July temperature splitting being at most 0.9 or 3 °C larger than observed for palsa or polygon sites respectively. Varying the palsa elevation between 0.5 and 3 m has little effect on modelled soil temperatures, showing that having only two tiles can still be a valid representation of sites with a large variability of palsa elevations. Lateral conductive fluxes, while small, reduce the temperature splitting by ~1 °C, and correspond to the order of observed lateral degradation rates in peat plateau regions, indicating possible application in an area-based thaw model.
... Based on 112 well dated sites including minerotrophic and ombrogenic mires (fen and bogs, respectively), this work proposes a local contribution to the global reflexion on mire initiation and climate warming during the first half of the Holocene (e.g. Kremenetski et al., 2003). In a few cases, Late-Glacial histic horizons, accumulating peat during various periods of time, were found (before 11.7 ka cal. ...
Cet article propose un bilan du développement des tourbières depuis 15 000 avant le présent (Tardiglaciaire et Holocène) à l’échelle de l’Est du Massif central (France). Ce travail se base sur une analyse des dates d’apparition des tourbières grâce à une base de données comprenant 112 sites datés par le radiocarbone (14C). Les résultats obtenus sont comparés aux évolutions de la couverture végétale documentées par les études paléoenvironnementales (pollen et macro-restes végétaux), grâce au calcul de facteurs d’ouverture et d’anthropisation du paysage (Facteurs d’Impact Anthropique = FIA), et avec les données archéologiques régionales disponibles. Une diversité de modalités de mise en place des tourbières apparaît au cours de la période considérée. Quelques sites présentent des accumulations
de tourbe précoces (de 15 000 à 12 700 avant le présent), puis une nouvelle phase de formation de tourbières se développe durant le réchauffement climatique post-glaciaire. Cette génération (10 000 à 7 000 avant le présent) présente des tourbières planes (minérogènes) issues de l’atterrissement d’anciens lacs et des tourbières bombées (ombrogènes) formées par paludification. Une seconde phase majeure de formation de tourbières est documentée depuis 4 200 ans, avec un nombre croissant de nouvelles tourbières durant les 2 800 dernières années. Durant cette phase, les activités humaines ont directement ou indirectement favorisé l’apparition de petites tourbières bombées (à l’arrière de murets, de chaussées surélevées, dans des zones drainées puis abandonnées) ou de tourbières planes (souvent installées sur d’anciens étangs). Tous ces cas sont particulièrement bien représentés dans le massif du
Mézenc (Sud du Massif central) qui constitue un véritable conservatoire pour l’histoire des écosystèmes, de la biodiversité et de l’évolution des paysages.
... Mires cover only 6-7% of the area and are confined to river valleys (Platonov 1964). Nevertheless, a negative water balance between precipitation and evaporation (Kremenetski et al. 2003) inherent in the forest steppe makes peatlands from this subzone sensitive to regional hydrological changes. Furthermore, Pawłowski et al. (2012Pawłowski et al. ( , 2015 showed that mires from river valleys are promising targets for the reconstruction of hydroclimatic oscillations using a multi-proxy approach with both geochemical and biological indicators, which reflect multiple features of the sedimentation processes and palaeoenvironment. ...
Our study focuses on the Holocene hydroclimate long‐term trends in southern East Siberia and places them in the context of the adjacent areas of the Siberian taiga in the north and the arid central Asia in the south. We present a new record from the eutrophic mire, in the forest‐steppe region, covering the last 9000 years. Our multi‐proxy approach includes physiochemical (ash content, grain size, micro‐charcoal, peat decomposition) and biological indicators (pollen, non‐pollen palynomorphs, plant macrofossils, testate amoebae, molluscs). The record indicates increased humidity during the Holocene Thermal Maximum at 8150–7400 cal. a BP, and drier conditions with evidence for fires at 7400–5100 cal. a BP. Next, wetter conditions occurred at the coring site at 5100–1400 cal. a BP based on evidence of fluvial influence, which is consistent with other records in the wider region. A short‐term dry episode occurred at 1400–1300 cal. a BP, followed by a wet Medieval Warm Period (1300–650 cal. a BP) and Little Ice Age (450–300 cal. a BP) and a moderately wet environment from 300 cal. a BP to the present day. These results are consistent with the previously published palaeoenvironmental reconstructions from the steppe and forest‐steppe regions in the south of East and West Siberia and taken together reveal a common trend towards wetter conditions with a maximum wetness between 4500 and 3000 cal. a BP. This differs from the taiga region further north and from the Altai‐Sayan Mountains and Kazakhstan Hills further south, which show the trend from dry to wet and then to drier conditions in the Holocene, and from the Trans‐Baikal region where the Holocene trend is to drier conditions. This study supports the predominant influence of the North Atlantic on the regional palaeoclimate changes in the forest‐steppe region of East Siberia during the Holocene.
... Permafrost peatlands represent the largest reservoir of currently frozen soil organic carbon, susceptible to microbial degradation under ongoing permafrost thaw and the increase of active layer thickness (ALT). For example, the western Siberia Lowland (WSL) exhibits a typical peat thickness of 1 to 3 m [14] and a maximal active layer depth of 30 to 80 cm [15][16][17][18][19]. Here, a significant reservoir of organic carbon and nitrogen is currently frozen but may become available for microbial processing in the next century. However, the microbial metabolic activity and even the number of bacteria in the thawed versus frozen parts of the peat soil cores are only beginning to be explored ( [20] and references therein). ...
Permafrost peatlands, containing a sizable amount of soil organic carbon (OC), play a pivotal role in soil (peat) OC transformation into soluble and volatile forms and greatly contribute to overall natural CO2 and CH4 emissions to the atmosphere under ongoing permafrost thaw and soil OC degradation. Peat microorganisms are largely responsible for the processing of this OC, yet coupled studies of chemical and bacterial parameters in permafrost peatlands are rather limited and geographically biased. Towards testing the possible impact of peat and peat pore water chemical composition on microbial population and diversity, here we present results of a preliminary study of the western Siberia permafrost peatland discontinuous permafrost zone. The quantitative evaluation of microorganisms and determination of microbial diversity along a 100 cm thick peat soil column, which included thawed and frozen peat and bottom mineral horizon, was performed by RT-PCR and 16S rRNA gene-based metagenomic analysis, respectively. Bacteria (mainly Proteobacteria, Acidobacteria, Actinobacteria) strongly dominated the microbial diversity (99% sequences), with a negligible proportion of archaea (0.3–0.5%). There was a systematic evolution of main taxa according to depth, with a maximum of 65% (Acidobacteria) encountered in the active layer, or permafrost boundary (50–60 cm). We also measured C, N, nutrients and ~50 major and trace elements in peat (19 samples) as well as its pore water and dispersed ice (10 samples), sampled over the same core, and we analyzed organic matter quality in six organic and one mineral horizon of this core. Using multiparametric statistics (PCA), we tested the links between the total microbial number and 16S rRNA diversity and chemical composition of both the solid and fluid phase harboring the microorganisms. Under climate warming and permafrost thaw, one can expect a downward movement of the layer of maximal genetic diversity following the active layer thickening. Given a one to two orders of magnitude higher microbial number in the upper (thawed) layers compared to bottom (frozen) layers, an additional 50 cm of peat thawing in western Siberia may sizably increase the total microbial population and biodiversity of active cells.
... Neoglacial insolation-driven cooling of summers after 4000 cal yr BP (Marsicek et al., 2018) initiated the landscape-level permafrost aggradation over the circumarctic and sub-arctic belt and had an important impact on vegetation communities and peat accumulation. The impact of cooling and the subsequent aggradation of permafrost is widely detectable as a slow-down in the peat accumulation in sub-arctic records from North America (Arlen-Pouliot and Bhiry, 2005;Kuhry, 2008;Sannel and Kuhry, 2009;Vardy et al., 2000), Siberia (Kremenetski et al., 2003) and Fennoscandia (Kokfelt et al., 2010). The onset of permafrost formation has occurred over the whole post-glacial time period, but it increased 3000 years ago, and the major aggradation has been dated to occur from 1000 BP onwards (Treat and Jones, 2018). ...
Effects of permafrost aggradation on greenhouse gas (GHG) dynamics and climate forcing have not been previously quantified. Here, we reconstruct changes in GHG balances over the late Holocene for a sub-arctic peatland by applying palaeoecological data combined with measured GHG flux data, focusing on the impact of permafrost aggradation in particular. Our data suggest that permafrost initiation around 3000 years ago resulted in GHG emissions, thereby slightly weakening the general long-term peatland cooling impact. As a novel discovery, based on our chronological data of bare peat surfaces, we found that current sporadic bare peat surfaces in subarctic regions are probably remnants of more extensive bare peat areas formed by permafrost initiation. Paradoxically, our data suggest that permafrost initiation triggered by the late Holocene cooling climate generated a positive radiative forcing and a short-term climate warming feedback, mitigating the general insolation-driven late Holocene summer cooling trend. Our work with historical data demonstrates the importance of permafrost peatland dynamics for atmospheric GHG concentrations, both in the past and future. It suggests that, while thawing permafrost is likely to initially trigger a change towards wetter conditions and consequent increase in CH4 forcing, eventually the accelerated C uptake capacity under warmer climate may overcome the thaw effect when a new hydrological balance becomes established.
... The next largest concentration (~50 gigatons of C) is in tropical peatlands. As compared to other ecosystems, peatland considered to be small carbon dioxide sink (Gorham 1991;Botch et al., 1995;Clymo et al., 1984;Turnau et al., 2002), but a large source of methane (Matthews and Fung 1987;Barlett and Harriss 1993;Huttunen et al., 2003), particulate organic carbon (Vitt et al., 2000;Turnen et al., 2002;Kremenetski et al., 2003) and dissolved organic carbon (Hope et al., 1994;Aitkenhead and McDowell 2000). Bryophytes are one of the important components of peatland vegetation and sometime it is most dominated over other vegetation. ...
... The lake sediments of WSL are most often represented by buried peat layers ; the peat is delivered to the lake due to coastal abrasion (Kirpotin et al., 2009. The thickness of organic sediment layer is similar to that of the peat which dominates on the lake watershed (Kremenetski et al., 2003;Raudina et al., 2018). The reverse dynamics of OC in some lakes (such as RM57) is likely due to the cryoturbation of bottom sediments during surface freezing in winter as also evidenced by well-preserved organic detritus at the depth of 12-19 cm (see Fig. S1). ...
The chemical composition of thermokarst lake ecosystem components is a crucial indicator of current climate change and permafrost thaw. Despite high importance of macrophytes in shallow permafrost thaw lakes for control of major and trace nutrients in lake water, the trace element (TE) partitioning between macrophytes and lake water and sediments in the permafrost regions remains virtually unknown. Here we sampled dominant macrophytes in thermokarst lakes of discontinuous and continuous permafrost zones in the Western Siberia Lowland (WSL) and measured major and trace elements in plant biomass, lake water, lake sediments and sediment porewater. All six plant species (Hippuris vulgaris L., Glyceria maxima (Hartm.) Holmb., Comarum palustre L., Ranunculus spitzbergensis Hadac, Carex aquatilis Wahlenb s. str., Menyanthes trifoliata L.) sizably accumulated macronutrients (Na, Mg, Ca), micronutrients (B, Mo, Nu, Cu, Zn, Co) and toxicants (As, Cd). Accumulation of other trace elements, including rare earth elements (REE), in macrophytes relative to pore waters and sediments was highly variable among species. Using miltiparametric statistics, we described the behavior of ТЕ across two permafrost zones and identified several group of elements depending on their sources in the lake ecosystems and their affinity to sediments and macrophytes. Under future climate warming and shifting the permafrost border to the north, we anticipate an increasing uptake of heavy metals and lithogenic low mobile elements such as Ti, Al, Cr, As, Cu, Fe, Ni, Ga, Zr, and REEs by macrophytes in the discontinuous permafrost zone and Ba, Zn, Pb and Cd in the continuous permafrost zone. This may eventually diminish transport of metal micronutrients and geochemical tracers from soils to lakes and rivers and further to the Arctic Ocean.
... For this study we sampled the interstitial soil solutions of the active layer and ice from frozen peat layers across a 400-km latitudinal transect of discontinuous to continuous permafrost. In the context of climate warming scenarios, understanding soil ice interactions within WSL is important due to the facts that: 1) it encompasses both discontinuous and continuous permafrost zones and contains soil temperatures around 0 C that are highly vulnerable to thawing (Romanovsky et al., 2010); 2) it contains a huge reservoir of organic carbon located in surficial ( 3e4 m) still frozen peat layers (Beilman et al., 2009;Botch et al., 1995;Frey and Smith, 2007;Kremenetski et al., 2003;Sheng et al., 2004;Tarnocai et al., 2009;Turunen et al., 2001); 3) the West Siberian peatlands contain the largest soil water and ice resources in the northern hemisphere (Smith et al., 2012); and 4) it presents a permafrost type gradient and highly homogeneous landscape parameters. The latter allows for straightforward testing of the effects of climate, permafrost, and vegetation on soil ice and water chemistry without interference from rock lithology, runoff, relief, proximity to the ocean, and localization of underground waters. ...
The physical and chemical consequences of massive ground ice (wedges) melt upon permafrost thaw is one of the central issues of environmental research linked to climate warming in the Arctic. Little is known about the chemical properties of dispersed ground ice abundant throughout permafrost peatlands that can easily melt with increasing active layer thickness (ALT). This is especially pertinent in continental lowlands, that account for sizeable areas of the Arctic, and contain high amount of organic carbon in both solid (peat) and liquid (porewater) phases. Here we studied 8 peat cores (0–130 cm depth)—comprised of porewater from the active layer (0–45 cm) as well as ice dispersed in frozen peat (40–130 cm)—across a latitudinal profile of Western Siberia Lowland (WSL) extending from discontinuous into continuous permafrost zones. Dissolved Organic Carbon (DOC), alkali and alkaline-earth metals (Ca, Mg, Sr, Ba, Li, Rb, Cs), sulfate, phosphorus, some trace elements (Al, Fe, Mn, Zn, Ni, Co, V, As, Y, REE, Zr, Hf, U) were sizably [more than 3 times] enriched in peat ice compared to peat porewaters from the active layer. In most sampled cores, there was a local maximum of strong enrichment (up to factors between 14 and 58) in DOC, P, Ca, Mg, Mn, Fe, Sr, As located 30–50 cm below the active layer. This maximum likely occurred due to solute concentration during full freezing of the soil column during winter. There was a sizable correlation between DOC, Al, Fe and other major and trace element concentrations that suggests strong control of organic complexes and organo-mineral (Al, Fe) colloids on element migration throughout the peat profile. The pool of C, major cations and trace metals in peat ice (40–130 cm) was approximately 3–55 times higher than the pool of these elements in porewaters from the active layer (0–40 cm). A 1-m increase of the ALT over the next 100 years is capable of mobilizing 58 ± 38 Tg of DOC from soil ice into the rivers and lakes of the WSL latitudinal belt (63–67 °N). This fast lateral export of C (3.7 ± 2.7 t C km−2 y−1) may double current C yields in WSL rivers (3.4 ± 1.3 t C km−2 y−1). A strong increase (150–200%) in riverine export of Zn, P and Cs may also occur while other micronutrients (Fe, Ni, Co, Ba, Mo, Rb) and toxicants (Cd, As, Al) may be affected to a lesser degree (20–30% increase). We propose a global peat ice inventory in permafrost regions is essential for assessing the consequences of permafrost thaw on surface aquatic systems.
... To date, TraCE21k is the only available transient GCM simulation, but new simulations under the umbrella of PMIP4 might shed more light on the model dependence of the warming pattern in question (Ivanovic et al., 2016). Another source of the mismatch could lie in the simple representation of peatlands in the model, which might be unsuitable to reproduce specific initiation and expansion pathways, like terrestrialization and fen-bog transition that might have been important controlling factors in that time and region (Kremenetski et al., 2003). One example could be the relative weakness of the initiation criteria on the moisture balance (precipitation over evapotranspiration > 1), which is almost always weaker than the indirectly mediated condition on inundation persistence. ...
Peatlands are an essential part of the terrestrial carbon cycle and the climate system. Understanding their history is key to understanding future and past land–atmosphere carbon fluxes. We performed transient simulations over the last 22 000 years with a dynamic global peat and vegetation model forced by Earth system model climate output, thereby complementing data-based reconstructions for peatlands. Our novel results demonstrate a highly dynamic evolution with concomitant gains and losses of active peatland areas. Modeled gross area changes exceed net changes several fold, while net peat area increases by 60 % over the deglaciation. Peatlands expand to higher northern latitudes in response to warmer and wetter conditions and retreating ice sheets, and they are partly lost in midlatitude regions. In the tropics, peatlands are partly lost due to the flooding of continental shelves and are regained through nonlinear responses to the combined changes in temperature, precipitation, and CO2. Large north–south shifts of tropical peatlands are driven by shifts in the position of the intertropical convergence zone associated with the abrupt climate events of the glacial termination. Time slice simulations for the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM) demonstrate large uncertainties in modeled peatland extent (global range from 1.5 to 3.4 Mkm2, million square kilometers) stemming from uncertainties in climate forcing. The net uptake of atmospheric CO2 by peatlands, modeled at 351 GtC since the LGM, considers decay from former peatlands. Carbon uptake would be misestimated, in particular during periods of rapid climate change and subsequent shifts in peatland distribution, when considering only changes in the area of currently active peatlands. Our study highlights the dynamic nature of peatland distribution and calls for an improved understanding of former peatlands to better constrain peat carbon sources and sinks.
... Key physicogeographical parameters of studied sites and soil types are listed in Table S1 in the Supplement. The WSL peat actively formed since the beginning of the Holocene until freezing of bogs in the Subboreal period (11-4.5 kyr; Kremenetski et al., 2003;Panova et al., 2010;Ponomareva et al., 2012;Loiko et al., 2019). For 4.5 kyr, the rate of peat formation and bog extension in the permafrostaffected part of the WSL has been decreasing. ...
Natural and anthropogenic mercury (Hg) emissions are sequestered in
terrestrial soils over short, annual to long, millennial timescales
before Hg mobilization and run-off impact wetland and coastal ocean
ecosystems. Recent studies have used Hg-to-carbon (C) ratios
(RHgC's) measured in Alaskan permafrost mineral and peat
soils together with a northern circumpolar permafrost soil carbon
inventory to estimate that these soils contain large amounts of Hg (between 184 and
755 Gg) in the upper 1 m. However, measurements
of RHgC on Siberian permafrost peatlands are largely
missing, leaving the size of the estimated northern soil Hg budget and
its fate under Arctic warming scenarios uncertain. Here we present Hg
and carbon data for six peat cores down to mineral horizons at
1.5–4 m depth, across a 1700 km latitudinal (56 to
67∘ N) permafrost gradient in the Western Siberian Lowland
(WSL). Mercury concentrations increase from south to north in all soil
horizons, reflecting a higher stability of sequestered Hg with respect
to re-emission. The RHgC in the WSL peat horizons
decreases with depth, from 0.38 Gg Pg−1 in the active layer
to 0.23 Gg Pg−1 in continuously frozen peat of the WSL. We
estimate the Hg pool (0–1 m) in the permafrost-affected part
of the WSL peatlands to be 9.3±2.7 Gg. We review and
estimate pan-Arctic organic and mineral soil RHgC to be
0.19 and 0.63 Gg Pg−1, respectively, and use a soil carbon budget to
revise the pan-Arctic permafrost soil Hg pool to be 72 Gg
(39–91 Gg; interquartile range, IQR) in the upper
30 cm, 240 Gg (110–336 Gg) in the upper
1 m, and 597 Gg (384–750 Gg) in the upper
3 m. Using the same RHgC approach, we revise the
upper 30 cm of the global soil Hg pool to contain 1086 Gg of
Hg (852–1265 Gg, IQR), of which 7 % (72 Gg)
resides in northern permafrost soils. Additional soil and river
studies in eastern and northern Siberia are needed to lower the
uncertainty on these estimates and assess the timing of Hg release to
the atmosphere and rivers.
... Based on 112 well dated sites including minerotrophic and ombrogenic mires (fen and bogs, respectively), this work proposes a local contribution to the global reflexion on mire initiation and climate warming during the first half of the Holocene (e.g. Kremenetski et al., 2003). In a few cases, Late-Glacial histic horizons, accumulating peat during various periods of time, were found (before 11.7 ka cal. ...
This paper studies mire initiation modalities from the Late-Glacial to the Holocene by comparing radiocarbon ages on basal peat layers (112 sites from the Eastern French Massif Central – EFMC) with long-term land cover changes. We developed a semi-quantitative method, based on the degree of openness and Anthropogenic Impact Factors (AIF scores) from palaeoecological data (mire and lake records). Archaeological information was also considered to evaluate human impact. We compared regional mire development trends with datasets from Northern Europe, Siberia, Alaska and Canada, and with global CH4 emission. Heterogenous cases of mire initiation were highlighted during the last 15 ka years in the EMFC. From 15 to 11.7 ka cal. BP, some mires and histic horizons occurred, although further research is needed to better understand these peat accumulation phases. Related to the Early Holocene warming, a mire generation established by terrestrialization, in the southern EFMC where geomorphology favoured fens. Bogs also formed by paludification in the whole area between 10 and 7 ka cal. BP. Then, various cases of mire initiation were found from 4.4 to 2.4 ka cal. BP. The high number of mires established since 2.4 ka cal. BP could be related to major anthropogenic changes, indirectly favouring fens (in former ponds for instance) or small bogs (at the back of roads, walls or in abandoned drainage systems). This last generation was typical of Western European mountains and implied that moderate human impact may also produce socio-ecosystems with high ecological values.
... Peat deposits are predominantly used in Western Siberia as a main source for the reconstruction of the Holocene environment and vegetation history, but the age of peatlands in the southern part of Western Siberia rarely exceeds 4500 years [1]. Studies of lacustrine sediments and their proxy as a highresolution paleoecological records in the south of Western Siberia have a relatively short history [2][3][4][5][6] and the results from previous studies essentially cover the second half of the Holocene and give critically little information about the Early Holocene. ...
This paper presents some conclusions of a study of a long-term lake sequence in the southwestern part of the Western Siberian Plain. Environment changes in the Holocene were identified according to geochemical indices, accumulation rate, plant macrofossils, and pollen data of sediment in Lake Kyrtyma. As a result, we firstly obtained the data on climatically conditioned changes of the sedimentation in the flat part of Western Siberia over at least the last 15 thousand years. Geochemical changes in the sediment properties clearly revealed climate change over the Late Glacial and the Holocene. Changes in the composition of macrophytes gave little independent information, while the pollen data are perfectly combined with the sedimentation features and serve as a reliable source for the reconstruction of vegetation changes and landscape. The transition to the Holocene was marked at about ∼12–11.2 ka BP, subsequent ongoing warming led to the aridest Holocene phase at ∼7.1–5.5 ka BP. Cooling and the resulting decrease in vaporation began at ∼5.5–4.9 ka BP, but a cardinal shift in sedimentation due to a gradual increase in precipitation was at ∼4.9–2.8 ka BP. The most significant increase in humidification and a cooling began at 2.8 ka BP.
Представлены результаты реконструкции динамики палеопожаров за последние 12 тыс. лет в среднетаежной подзоне Западно-Сибирской равнины на основе макроуголькового анализа и радиоуглеродного датирования донных отложений озера «S14» в Ханты-Мансийском автономном округе. Выделено пять основных этапов палеопожарной истории. Согласно проведенному исследованию, изменение климатических условий являлось основным фактором, влияющим на динамику палеопожаров: частота пожаров увеличивалась в более теплые периоды голоцена, а уменьшалась в
холодные этапы.
Boreal peatlands store most of their carbon in layers deeper than 0.5 m under anaerobic conditions, where carbon dioxide and methane are produced as terminal products of organic matter degradation. Since the global warming potential of methane is much greater than that of carbon dioxide, the balance between the production rates of these gases is important for future climate predictions. Herein, we aimed to understand whether anaerobic methane oxidation (AMO) could explain the high CO2/CH4 anaerobic production ratios that are widely observed for the deeper peat layers of boreal peatlands. Furthermore, we quantified the metabolic pathways of methanogenesis to examine whether hydrogenotrophic methanogenesis is a dominant methane production pathway for the presumably recalcitrant deeper peat. To assess the CH4 cycling in deeper peat, we combined laboratory anaerobic incubations with a pathway-specific inhibitor, in situ depth patterns of stable isotopes in CH4, and 16S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing for three representative boreal peatlands in Western Siberia. We found up to a 69 % reduction in CH4 production due to AMO, which largely explained the high CO2/CH4 anaerobic production ratios and the in situ depth-related patterns of δ13C and δD in methane. The absence of acetate accumulation after inhibiting acetotrophic methanogenesis and the presence of sulfate- and nitrate-reducing anaerobic acetate oxidizers in the deeper peat indicated that these microorganisms use SO42− and NO3− as electron acceptors. Acetotrophic methanogenesis dominated net CH4 production in the deeper peat, accounting for 81 ± 13 %. Overall, anaerobic oxidation is quantitatively important for the methane cycle in the deeper layers of boreal peatlands, affecting both methane and its main precursor concentrations.
Raised peatlands, or bogs, are gently mounded landforms that are composed entirely of organic matter1–4 and store the most carbon per area of any terrestrial ecosystem⁵. The shapes of bogs are critically important because their domed morphology4,6,7 accounts for much of the carbon that bogs store and determines how they will respond to interventions8,9 to stop greenhouse gas emissions and fires after anthropogenic drainage10–13. However, a general theory to infer the morphology of bogs is still lacking4,6,7. Here we show that an equation based on the processes universal to bogs explains their morphology across biomes, from Alaska, through the tropics, to New Zealand. In contrast to earlier models of bog morphology that attempted to describe only long-term equilibrium shapes4,6,7 and were, therefore, inapplicable to most bogs14–16, our approach makes no such assumption and makes it possible to infer full shapes of bogs from a sample of elevations, such as a single elevation transect. Our findings provide a foundation for quantitative inference about the morphology, hydrology and carbon storage of bogs through Earth’s history, as well as a basis for planning natural climate solutions by rewetting damaged bogs around the world.
Climate change is having a profound effect on every part of the globe but perhaps nowhere more so than on the Earth’s cryosphere. The Arctic Permafrost Atlas is a consolidation of the available knowledge on permafrost, offering insights into the diverse aspects of permafrost and the impacts of climate change on permafrost. It gathers the knowledge from the voices of scientists, Indigenous Peoples, northern residents, and local practitioners to provide a holistic and inclusive view of today’s challenges in the “country of permafrost”. The atlas is divided into seven chapters: introduction to permafrost; permafrost and climate change; permafrost change in terrestrial, coastal, and subsea permafrost; impacts of permafrost thaw on infrastructure, health, and economies; adaptation to permafrost thaw; permafrost outside the Arctic; and concludes by showing the links between the physical processes, key hazards, and consequences and the actions needed to address them.
Link for citation: Raudina T.V., Smirnov S.V., Istigechev G.I., Pokrovsky O.S. Photochemical transformation of dissolved organic matter and behavior of metals in the waters of the southern taiga bog complex, Western Siberia. Bulletin of the Tomsk Polytechnic University. Geo Аssets Engineering, 2023, vol. 334, no. 9, рр. 182-193. In Rus. The relevance. Dissolved organic matter is one of the largest biologically available sources of carbon in terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems, and its dynamics are critical to local and global carbon cycles. Destruction of organic matter during migration determines the biological cycle of elements and their stability. Important processes that lead to the transformation or removal of the dissolved organic matter are bio- and photodegradation. To date, enough research has been carried out to study the composition of humic substances, forms of metals, and the processes of migration of organo-mineral compounds in natural waters of the taiga zone, Western Siberia. Work is underway to study the dissolved organic carbon bioavailability, but the mechanisms of its photochemical transformations in different seasons of the year have not been studied. At the same time, photochemical mineralization of dissolved organic compounds largely regulates the biogeochemical cycles of elements by changing their bioavailability, the intensity of carbon dioxide emission from surface waters into the atmosphere, and the removal of dissolved trace elements through precipitation and coagulation. The main aim is to assess changes in the chemical composition and the rate of the dissolved organic matter and dissolved metals removal in the waters of the southern taiga bog complex (Western Siberia) under the sunlight exposure on a spatio-temporal scale. Objects: soil waters within different bog landscapes (open sedge-sphagnum fen, tall ryam (pine-shrub-sphagnum phytocenosis with high pine trees), and waterlogged mixed forest) of the Bakchar bog complex located in the southeastern part of the Ob-Irtysh interfluves, the Vasyugan plain. The waters were taken at a depth by digging a pit (40´40 cm area, 40 cm depth), which allowed the surrounding gravitational water to fill it up to the depth of 10–20 cm. The sampling took place during two field period in 2020 (June and October). Methods. pH, water temperature, specific conductivity (Cond) and dissolved oxygen were measured using a multiparameter instrument (WTW MULTI 3430 SET). The dissolved organic carbon was measured by a high-temperature thermic oxidation method using a Shimadzu TOC-LCPN analyzer, with an uncertainty of 2 %. The absorbance was measured at wavelengths up to 800 nm, 1 nm step using quartz 10 mm cuvette on a Cary-50 spectrophotometer. Major cations (Ca, Mg, Na, K), Si, and trace metals were determined with an ICP-MS Agilent CE 7500 with In and Re as internal standards and three various external ones. In the photodegradation experimental design, we followed the methodology which is sunlight exposure of sterile filtered (0,2 μm) samples in quartz reactors in the outdoor pool. Results. The authors revealed the influence of photodegradation on the qualitative and quantitative composition of dissolved organic substances and the behavior of metals in water samples of bog landscapes of the taiga zone of Western Siberia on spatiotemporal scales. It was established that from 3 to 30 % of the dissolved organic carbon can be removed from soil water under the influence of sunlight with maximum values in early June. At the same time, in autumn, despite the decrease in the amount of solar radiation, the photodegradable DOC can also reach 10–12 %. In general, there is a decrease in the percentage of the dissolved organic carbon loss in the waters in the row fen>ryam>forest. The dissolved organic carbon removal can be associated both with the transition of a part into an inorganic form, and with the destruction of high-molecular organic substances. A significant change (p<0.05) in the optical parameters is noted, which is consistent with the behavior of the dissolved organic matter during photolysis. In addition, under the influence of insolation, the transformation of organo-mineral compounds occurs, which leads to a change in the forms of metals. The greatest losses relative to control were observed for rare earth elements (Y, La, Ce, Pr, Nd), as well as Ti, V, which in some cases reach 70 % (more significant in fen waters). These trace elements show behavior similar to dissolved organic carbon, Al and Fe, which confirms the importance of organic and organo-Fe-Al-colloids determining the behavior of most elements in acidic waters with a high content of organic matter.
Non-floodplain wetlands – those located outside the floodplains – have emerged as integral components to watershed resilience, contributing hydrologic and biogeochemical functions affecting watershed-scale flooding extent, drought magnitude, and water-quality maintenance. However, the absence of a global dataset of non-floodplain wetlands limits their necessary incorporation into water quality and quantity management decisions and affects wetland-focused wildlife habitat conservation outcomes. We addressed this critical need by developing a publicly available Global NFW (non-floodplain wetland) dataset, comprised of a global river-floodplain map at 90 m resolution coupled with a global ensemble wetland map incorporating multiple wetland-focused data layers. The floodplain, wetland, and non-floodplain wetland spatial data developed here were successfully validated within 21 large and heterogenous basins across the conterminous United States. We identified nearly 33 million potential non-floodplain wetlands with an estimated global extent of over 16 million km2. Non-floodplain wetland pixels comprised 53 % of globally identified wetland pixels, meaning the majority of the globe’s wetlands likely occur external to river floodplains and coastal habitats. The identified Global NFWs were typically small (median 0.039 km2), with a global median size ranging from 0.018–0.138 km2. This novel geospatial Global NFW dataset advances wetland conservation and resource-management goals while providing a foundation for global non-floodplain wetland functional assessments, facilitating non-floodplain wetland inclusion in hydrological, biogeochemical, and biological model development. The data are freely available through the United States Environmental Protection Agency’s Environmental Dataset Gateway (https://gaftp.epa.gov/EPADataCommons/ORD/Global_NonFloodplain_Wetlands/) and through https://doi.org/10.23719/1528331 (Lane et al., 2023).
Heterogeneous ice wedges were studied within the peatland of the drained lake on the Pur‐Taz interfluve (67°20′14.8″, 078°55′47.1″, Northwest Siberia). The elements of the ice‐wedge structure were identified: young ice wedge, shoulders, selvages, closed‐cavity ices, and ice lenses in a peatland. Different genetic types of ice (ice vein, congelation ice, and segregated ice) were revealed by analyzing the elements of the ice‐wedge structure under polarized light and analyzing their chemical compositions. Genetic types of the ice indicate the different mechanisms of ice‐wedge formation. The ice vein forms due to fast bilateral freezing of primarily meltwater in a thermal contraction crack. The congelation ice forms due to the slow freezing of free water that has accumulated into a thermokarst cavity. The segregated ice forms due to pore water migration to the freezing zone. The elements of the ice‐wedge structure have variable stable isotope values (δ18O from −13.5‰ to −21.9‰ and δD from −87.7‰ to −154.6‰). The high range of deuterium excess values (13.8‰ to 32‰) indicates fractionation at condensation. The mean winter paleotemperature calculated using Vasil’chuk’s equations for the ice‐wedge pats formed by the ice veins varied in the range of −18 to −22°C, which is not very different from current values and is consistent with the isotopic data of ice wedges from nearby regions of Northwest Siberia. The paleotemperature average error can equal 4.5°C if we ignore the data on the ice petrographic analysis. The error depends on where and how the ice wedges are sampled, because of varying genetic types within the ground ice. This could lead to different palaeoclimatological interpretations.
Lithological and paleovegetation data from sites in the Elikchan region of the Upper Kolyma basin provide insights into the permafrost history of the mountain valleys of interior Western Beringia. The Elikchan records show a period of peat accumulation between ∼12,000 and 9500 cal BP, which parallels trends in the northern coastal lowlands. This interval corresponds to a time when summers were warmer and drier than present and the previously established Betula-Alnus shrub tundra was replaced by Larix-Betula-Populus forest in both the interior valleys and northern lowlands. The Elikchan sites indicate that thermokarst processes continued throughout the Middle and Late Holocene, with the development of small ponds in the middle of ice-wedge polygons, their subsequent expansion to form thermokarst lakes, the periodic drainage or migration of these lakes, and the intermittent formation of stable surfaces as indicated by soil development. The arrival of Pinus pumila in the region ∼10,000 cal BP suggests an increase in snow cover, a change that would enhance ground insulation, deepen the active layer, and increase permafrost thaw. Although such conditions might favor another interval of peat growth, peat accumulation apparently occurred only during the Early Holocene in the Elikchan region. Modern permafrost-vegetation-climate studies and sensitivity experiments using a Beringian paleoclimate model underscore the importance of seasonality when trying to unravel the complex climate and vegetation feedbacks that have influenced and will continue to affect permafrost landscapes.
Die boreale Zone umschließt als ein von Wald dominierter Vegetationsgürtel südlich der Arktis und nördlich der gemäßigten Zone die gesamte Nordhalbkugel. Die Abgrenzung ist klimatisch bedingt. Die Nordgrenze der borealen Zone fällt in etwa mit der Position der Arktikfront während des Sommers zusammen, die die im Bereich des Nordpolarmeeres liegenden arktischen Luftmassen von den südlich anschließenden (die Namensgebung irritiert hier ein wenig) polaren Luftmassen abgrenzt.
Fossil pollen records from two peatlands and two lakes in Kazakhstan provide radiocarbon-dated evidence of vegetation change since 13 000 BP. During the Lateglacial open spruce (Picea obovata) forests started spreading along river valleys and over the Kazakhstan Foothills. By 9500 BP, the southern limit of spruce approached its present-day position. Between 9500 and 8000 BP steppe and open birch forests formed the vegetation in the south of the West Siberian Lowland. Dry steppe and semi-desert were the main types of vegetation in north Kazakhstan. From 7000 to 5500 BP Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris L.) expanded in Kazakhstan and reached its present day southern limit. Since 5500 BP pine has formed monospecific forests in the lrtysh-Semipalatinsk area and in the northern part of the Kazakhstan Foothills. By 5000 BP lime (Tilia cordata) penetrated into the northern part of the Kazakhstan Foothills. The ranges of oak (Quercus robur), elm (Ulmus glabra) and black alder (AInus glutinosa) also expanded. The period 4500-3600 BP was characterised by a drier and more continental climate. During that time, the forested area decreased. The ranges of broadleaved trees and alder were reduced. A phase of less continental climate occurred 3300-2800/ 2700 BP. By 1500 BP the present southern limit of Scots pine was established.
In order to assess the reliability of aquatic moss for radiocarbon dating, 14C analyses were performed on a stratigraphic series of terrestrial plant macrofossils and samples of Drepanocladus crassicostatus from a small, hard-water lake (pH = 8.2) in the ``ice-free corridor'' of Alberta. All 14C dating was done by using accelerator mass spectrometry. Mazama Ash provided an independent chronological control. The aquatic bryophyte samples consistently produced 14C ages significantly older than the terrestrial macrofossils. The relation between the radiocarbon dates from the macrofossils and the moss was not linear, and age differences ranged from approximately 1400 to 6400 yr. The 14C content of D. crassicostatus growing in the lake at present was less than 85% modern. Despite the apparent inability to take up 14C-deficient carbon by the direct incorporation of bicarbonate, the bryophytes clearly do not provide reliable material for 14C dating. The 14C deficiency of aquatic mosses may be explained by the generation of 14C-deficient CO2 through isotopic exchange, the formation of CO2 from bicarbonate by chemical processes, and metabolic CO2 production. These results demonstrate the potential unreliability of 14C dates from aquatic mosses and raise serious concerns about the deglaciation dates from the ice-free corridor that were obtained from aquatic Drepanocladus.
The pollen stratigraphy of an ombrotrophic patterned ridge-hollow raised bog in the Salym-Yugan Mire Area in boreal West Siberia (60°109N, 72°509E) covers the entire Holocene period. Pollen data from three parallel peat cores suggest that, contrary to previous assumptions, Betula forests did not spread into tundra until the Boreal period (9000–10000 cal. BP). After 9000 cal. BP, Pinus sylvestris and Picea abies forests displaced Betula forests in the area and dominated until 4100–4300 cal. BP, when Picea decreased considerably due to a climatic change and Pinus sylvestris became the most abundant tree species. Average pollen influx estimates during the wooded period, from about 9000 cal. BP onwards, were 5600–6350 grains cm–2 yr–1, similar to pollen-trap estimates from boreal coniferous forests.
Boreal and subarctic peatlands comprise a carbon pool of 455 Pg that has accumulated during the postglacial period at an average net rate of 0.096 Pg/yr (1 Pg = 10(15) g). Using Clymo's (1984) model, the current rate is estimated at 0.076 Pg/yr. Long-term drainage of these peatlands is estimated to be causing the oxidation to CO2 of a little more than 0.0085 Pg/yr, with combustion of fuel peat adding almost-equal-to 0.026 Pg/yr. Emissions of CH4 are estimated to release almost-equal-to 0.046 Pg of carbon annually. Uncertainties beset estimates of both stocks and fluxes, particularly with regard to Soviet peatlands. The influence of water table alterations upon fluxes of both CO2 and CH4 is in great need of investigation over a wide range of peatland environments, especially in regions where permafrost melting, thermokarst erosion, and the development of thaw lakes are likely results of climatic warming. The role of fire in the carbon cycle of peatlands also deserves increased attention. Finally, satellite-monitoring of the abundance of open water in the peatlands of the West Siberian Plain and the Hudson/James Bay Lowland is suggested as a likely method of detecting early effects of climatic warming upon boreal and subarctic peatlands.
Pollen stratigraphy of an extrazonal palsa bog in the middle taiga of the West Siberian Plain is dated by radiocarbon at five levels. Local pollen assemblage zones (LPAZ) are the basis for palaeogeographical reconstructions. Tundra-steppe plant communities with shrub birch (Betula nana) dominated in the latest Pleistocene. Warming after 10 000 14C yr BP caused the local thawing of permafrost, forming shallow lakes. Larixand then Picea spread along river valleys and depressions. Steppe plant communities existed on the dry interfluves. Further climatic warming and drying caused Picea to retreat, and Betula forest-steppe dominated 9500–8900 yr BP. Dense Pinus sylvestris and Pinus sibirica forests then spread over the whole area, and steppe communities decreased about 8300 yr BP. The Holocene climatic optimum (6000–5000 yr BP) was characterized by warm and wet conditions and Abies was widespread. Cooling then caused retreat of Abiesforests to the south and the expansion of Pinus sibirica forests on clay soils and Pinus sylvestris forests on sandy soils. Cooling about 4300 yr BP caused the peat to freeze and the palsa to form by bulging. Peat accumulation on the Bugristoye bog stopped at this time.
The total area of excessively moist peat soils of Russia has been determined on the basis of 1:2.5 million Soil Map of RSFSR, peat deposit survey data and scientific-literature analyses. It equals 369 million ha (21.6 percent of territory) including 139 million ha of soils with peat layer thickness more than 0.3 m. The peats of bog soils and bogs contain 97 to 133 billion tons of carbon. Seventy-three percent of peat lands are in the permafrost zone where the soils with peat layer thickness more than 0.3 m predominate.
The evaluated area and volume of ice sheets on the Earth during the Last Glacial Maximum (18-20 thousand years ago, oxygen isotope stage 2) are adjusted to the most recent data and our subglobal to global paleoglaciological reconstructions published between 1986 and 1997. In the West Eurasian Arctic sector (Svalbard and Franz Josef Land), the compensation uplift rate, calculated on the basis of radiocarbon dating of risen marine terraces, is considerably lower than that estimated using the model of an ice sheet stretched over the whole Barents Sea shelf. From the viewpoint of isostasy and new radiocarbon dates, according to which sediments left by the ice sheet of the Kara Sea are older than 40 ka, the idea suggesting a solid ice mass that existed in this region appears to be invalid. Glaciation in the Novaya Zemlya and Polar Urals was also autonomous. Glaciers in mountain valleys were typical of Taimyr and northeastern Siberia. Data on the western hemisphere again suggest a limited extent of glaciation in high latitudes, e.g., in the Canadian Arctic Archipelago. At the same time, ice sheets were most extensive in North America as compared to all others in the northern hemisphere. Outside the Antarctic continent, glaciation in the southern hemisphere was not intense; and limited ice sheets were mainly characteristic of southern South America and New Zealand. The total area of ice sheets during the Last Glacial Maximum was 36 million km2 and progressively decreased to 9600 thousand km2 about 13 ka ago and to 4700 thousand km2 about 10 ka years ago.
Phytomass and Primary Production of the Various Vegetational Zones and of the Entire Biosphere The biosphere is that thin layer at the earth's surface in which living organisms exist and biological cycling takes place. It includes the upper horizons of the soil in which plants root, the atmosphere near the ground, (insofar as organisms penetrate this space), and all the surface waters. More than 99% of the earth's biomass is phytomass, to which we shall limit our discussion. Amounts of phytomass are distinctly related to vegeta tional zones. Because accurate determination of phytomass and primary production is difficult, only gross estimates have been available until recently. However, in 1970, Bazilevich et al. published (in Russian) more accurate calculations, based on the rapidly accumulating literature, for the various thermal zones and bioclimatic regions of the earth. These authors calculated mean phyto mass and mean annual primary production for the various regions as dry mass (in tons) per hectare. On the basis of measurements of the areas covered by the individual regions, excluding rivers, lakes, glaciers, and permanent snow, total phytomass and total annual primary production for the various regions were obtained (see table). The sum of these figures is the phytomass and annual production of the land surface of the earth. In addition, the table gives corresponding data for the waters of the earth. The values involved are potential i. e. , they are based on natural vegetation uninfluenced by man.
Analysis of palynological successions has enabled reconstruction of climate variations throughout the Late Glacial and Holocene in the tundra and forest zones of northern Eurasia. Statistical analysis allows estimation of mean annual precipitation, and mean annual and July temperatures, based on palynological assemblages. Thus, the dynamic relationships between climate and vegetation changes can be established. Throughout the Late Glacial and Holocene, climate fluctuations were more dramatic in eastern Europe than in Siberia, primarily as a result of the influence of westerly air masses. In contrast, the "autochthonous" climate of Siberia, dominated by local air masses, was less prone to influence from climate changes elsewhere in the Northern Hemisphere, and shows only an attenuated Younger Dryas signal. Mid-Holocene warming characterizes all of northern Eurasia, although the regions of Siberia most influenced by continental climates show less pronounced cooling during the later Holocene. Sharp changes between summer monsoonal and winter anti-cyclonic regimes characterize the Pacific Maritime region.
Nearly 280 radiocarbon-dated macrofossils from 115 sites in Russia are used to reconstruct the shift in the northern treeline during last 10,000 yr, which was primarily considered to be climatically controlled. Picea obovata Ledeb. spread farther to the north between 8000 and 4500/4300 BP. In Siberia there is evidence of a more northern than present position of the Larix Mill. limit between 10,000 and 5000/4500 BP. The present limit of larch was established ca. 3200 BP in Yamal peninsula region and ca. 3500 BP in Lena River valley. Tree birches (Betula pubescens Ehrh., B. pendula Roth.) reached the present-day shoreline of Barents Sea in Bolshezemelskaya tundra and 72°N in Taimyr between 8000 and 9000 BP. In Yamal peninsula by 8000 BP the tree birch limit was near 70°N, but by ca. 5000/4500 BP the northern limit of tree birch was similar to present. Alnus fruticosa Rupr. reached 74°33'N in Taimyr and 75°27'N in northeast Siberia between 10,000 and 8000 BP. Pinus pumila (Pall.) Regel, Ribes L., Rubus idaeus L., Vaccinium uliginosum L., and Oxycoccus palustris. Pers moved northward between 10,000 and 9000 BP and 8000 and 5000/4500 BE Fossil wood evidence correlates well with results of COHMAP climate modeling for 9000 BP and 6000 BP.
Fossil pollen records from two peatlands and two lakes in Kazakhstan provide radiocarbon-dated evidence of vegetation change since 13 000 BP. During the Lateglacial open spruce (Picea obovata) forests started spreading along river valleys and over the Kazakhstan Foothills. By 9500 BP, the southern limit of spruce approached its present-day position. Between 9500 and 8000 BP steppe and open birch forests formed the vegetation in the south of the West Siberian Lowland. Dry steppe and semidesert were the main types of vegetation in north Kazakhstan. From 7000 to 5500 BP Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris L.) expanded in Kazakhstan and reached its present day southern limit. Since 5500 BP pine has formed monospecific forests in the lrtysh-Semipalatinsk area and in the northern part of the Kazakhstan Foothills. By 5000 BP lime (Tilia cordata) penetrated into the northern part of the Kazakhstan Foothills. The ranges of oak (Quercus robur), elm (Ulmus glabra) and black alder (Alnus glutinose) also expanded. The period 4500-3600 BP was characterised by a drier and more continental climate. During that time, the forested area decreased. The ranges of broadleaved trees and alder were reduced. A phase of less continental climate occurred 3300-2800/ 2700 BP. By 1500 BP the present southern limit of Scots pine was established.
To date, the areal extent, carbon pools, rate of carbon accumulation, and role of peatlands of the former Soviet Union (FSU) in the terrestrial carbon cycle has not been fully recognized. This is a consequence of the fact that many peatlands in the FSU, especially noncommercial peatlands, were never studied and properly mapped. An estimate of the areal extent, carbon pools, and rate of carbon accumulation in peatlands of the FSU obtained by interrelating a number of regional databases and maps, including formerly classified maps, is presented herein. Commercial peatlands were categorized by regional type which facilitated an evaluation of their age and quality. Noncommercial peatlands were evaluated from classified regional topographic maps. Air photographs were used to identify peatlands of northern landscapes. The total peatland area of the FSU was estimated at 165 Mha (106 hectares) which was two times greater than the most recent estimates based on thematic maps. The peat carbon pool was estimated at 215 Pg C. Half of this amount was in raised bogs. The rate of peat accumulation varied from 12 g C m−2 yr−1 (polygonal mires) to 72–80 g C m−2 yr−1 (fens and marshes). The total rate of carbon accumulation in FSU peatlands was 52 Tg C yr−1. Carbon emissions from peat utilization in the FSU were estimated at 122 Tg C yr−1. Thus, at present, peat accumulation/utilization in the FSU is a net source of approximately 70 Tg C yr−1 to the atmosphere.
It has been a long-standing discussion whether the Barents–Kara Ice Sheet expanded onto mainland Russia during the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM). In this paper, we describe many well-dated (by conventional and AMS 14C methods and optically stimulated luminescence) sedimentary sequences in the controversial area of Northern Russia. The sequences discussed are not covered by till, and yet all predate the LGM. The deposits consist mostly of aeolian or lacustrine, easily deformable soft silt and fine sand. Two sites feature frozen mammoth carcasses and three sites contain Palaeolithic artefacts and mammalian bones. We emphasise that these formations show no sign of having been overridden by an ice sheet. At several sites, deposition of aeolian sediments and formation of ice wedges took place during the LGM time span. These observations present unambiguous proof that the Barents–Kara Ice Sheet did not cover mainland Russia during LGM, with a possible exception for the northern tip of the Taimyr Peninsula.
The authors deal with problems of the origin of peat in the territory of the West Siberian Lowland where Holocene processes are sufficiently widespread to be representative of this world-wide phenomenon. Here, for example, are found the most extensive peat bogs of the Earth. The authors deal with the stratigraphy of these peat bogs and the reconstruction of Holocene conditions in the West Siberian Lowland. The development of peat bogs has considerably modified landscape features since the retreat of the last glaciation, i.e., during the last 10,000 to 11,000 years. The peat bogs began to develop simultaneously in thousands of depressions after the ice cover had melted. Later they merged into vast peaty bog regions. Without any intervention by man the peat bogs will cover all of Western Siberia in the course of several thousands of years. The development of extensive peat bogs is due to an irregular advance of floods on Siberian rivers which leads to a rise in the water level on tributaries of great rivers and to a retardation of the discharge of flood waves In the conclusion the authors point to the problems of economic use of swampy regions and to questions of land reclamation that must be answered before economic use of the territory (mainly in connection with extensive oil and gas deposits in these regions) can be fully effective.
Analysis of palynological successions has enabled reconstruction of climate variations throughout the Late Glacial and Holocene in the tundra and forest zones of northern Eurasia. Statistical analysis allows estimation of mean annual precipitation, and mean annual and July temperatures, based on palynological assemblages. Thus, the dynamic relationships between climate and vegetation changes can be established. Throughout the Late Glacial and Holocene, climate fluctuations were more dramatic in eastern Europe than in Siberia, primarily as a result of the influence of westerly air masses. In contrast, the “autochthonous” climate of Siberia, dominated by local air masses, was less prone to influence from climate changes elsewhere in the Northern Hemisphere, and shows only an attenuated Younger Dryas signal. Mid-Holocene warming characterizes all of northern Eurasia, although the regions of Siberia most influenced by continental climates show less pronounced cooling during the later Holocene. Sharp changes between summer monsoonal and winter anti-cyclonic regimes characterize the Pacific Maritime region.
Pollen and macrofossil investigations and radiocarbon datings were carried out at a bog in the Khibiny mountains and the northernmost bog in European Russia on the Rybachiy Peninsula (69°98'N) on the western part of the Kola Peninsula. Peat accumulation on the Kola Peninsula started at c. 8500–7500 BP. Pinus sylvestris reached its present northern limit on the peninsula by 7000 BP, while 6000–5000/4500 BP was a time of maximal progress of birch forest tundra up to the Barents Sea shoreline. Alnus ineana grew up to the Rybachiy Peninsula c. 40 km north of its present-day northern limit. By c, 5500/5300 BP Picen ohovata had immigrated to the Khibiny mountains. After 5000/4500 BP the forested area had retreated in the northern part of the Kola Peninsula and the tundra belt bordering the Barents Sea shore was formed. By 3500 BP spruce had reached its modern northern limit.
Stratigraphic analyses of peat composition, LOI, pollen, spores, macrofossils, charcoal and AMS ages are used to reconstruct the peatland. vegetation and climatic dynamics in the Pur-Taz region of western Siberia over 5000 years (9300-4500 BP). Section stratigraphy shows many changes from shallow lake sediment to different combinations of forestcd or open sedge, moss, and Equisetum fen and peatland environments. Macrofossil and pollen data indicate that Larix sibirica and Beth pubescens trees were the first to arrive, followed by Picea obovata. The dominance of Picea macrofossils 6000-5000 BP in the Pur-Taz peatland along with regional Picea pollen maxima indicate warmer conditions and movement of the spruce treeline northward at this time. The decline of pollen and macrofossils from all of these tree species in uppermost peats suggests a change in the environment less favorable for their growth, perhaps cooler tempratures and/or less moisture. Of major significance is the evidence for old ages of the uppermost peats in this area of Siberia, suggesting a real lack of peat accumulation in recent millennia or recent oxidation of uppermost peat.
A global data set on the geographic distribution and seasonality of freshwater wetlands and rice paddies has been compiled, comprising information at a spatial resolution of 2.5 by latitude and 5 by longitude. Global coverage of these wetlands total 5.7106 km2 and 1.3106 km2, respectively. Natural wetlands have been grouped into six categories following common terminology, i.e. bog, fen, swamp, marsh, floodplain, and shallow lake. Net primary productivity (NPP) of natural wetlands is estimated to be in the range of 4–91015 g dry matter per year. Rice paddies have an NPP of about 1.41015 g y–1. Extrapolation of measured CH4 emissions in individual ecosystems lead to global methane emission estimates of 40–160 Teragram (1 Tg=1012 g) from natural wetlands and 60–140 Tg from rice paddies per year. The mean emission of 170–200 Tg may come in about equal proportions from natural wetlands and paddies. Major source regions are located in the subtropics between 20 and 30 N, the tropics between 0 and 10 S, and the temperate-boreal region between 50 and 70 N. Emissions are highly seasonal, maximizing during summer in both hemispheres. The wide range of possible CH4 emissions shows the large uncertainties associated with the extrapolation of measured flux rates to global scale. More investigations into ecophysiological principals of methane emissions is warranted to arrive at better source estimates.
Interpretation of Space images coupled with field data on glacial geomorphology and glacial geology of Northern Eurasia have provided compelling evidence for a continuous Late Weichselian ice sheet covering the entire Arctic margin of the continent. In addition to the Scandinavian ice sheet, three ice sheets of the same order — the Karan, East Siberian and Beringian — are identified within the major Eurasian ice sheet. Also, there is evidence and other considerations suggesting a former ice sheet in the Sea of Okhotsk.Ice-spreading centers of the ice sheets were situated on the continental shelves off the Siberian coasts, thus we can term the ice sheets ‘Siberian’. So far, the conventional stratigraphic approach to the problem of Siberian glaciation has proven fruitless and yielded nothing but uncertainty, while geomorphological studies have discovered a wealth of glacial landforms in Arctic Siberia. It was these landforms and their spacing that made the existence of former Siberian ice sheets evident.The East Siberian ice sheet rested on the shelves of the eastern Laptev and East Siberian Seas, and its flow was directed radially, including up the Yana and Indigirka Rivers. The Beringian ice sheet was grounded on the Chukchi-, Bering-, and Beaufort Sea shelves, overriding the Chukchi and Seward Peninsulas from the north and flowing through the Bering Strait. It was continued by a thick floating ice shelf buttressed by the submarine Aleutian-Commander Ridge. The Okhotsk ice sheet was grounded on the Okhotsk shelf. Specific gemorphic signatures of marine ice sheets — the ‘glacially cut corners’ — have been identified on all promontories jutting out into the Bering and Okhotsk Seas. The Beringian and Okhotsk ice sheets are consistent with the results of deep-sea drilling in the adjacent North Pacific during Leg 145 of D/V JOIDES Resolution.
The extent of Late Weichselian glaciation in Arctic Russia remains a problem. Our model of 1995–1998 suggests a continuous and long-lived ice sheet centered on the Kara Sea. Other reconstructions suggest a smaller and “diachronous” glaciation. The vast majority of dates support the model of restricted glaciation. We show that these dates are inconsistent with the geologic record of ice flow across the Kara-Barents divide, with second-order glacial geology of Kola Peninsula, and with evidence for glacial surges. They are also inconsistent with Late Weichselian climate of the Arctic, with Eurasian continental paleohydrology, including meltwater drainage systems, cataclysmic megafloods, major transgressions of the Caspian Sea, and with the entire paleogeographic context of northern Eurasia. We believe that, due to impeded ventilation of the Pleistocene Arctic Ocean, these dates are often too old, and that recycling and contamination of the samples would also contribute to the dating errors. Destructive impacts of late-glacial ice-sheet surges and megafloods upon the Arctic glacial sequences would also aggravate the situation. By ignoring the dates until these problems are addressed, we find that the field evidence supports continuous glaciation of Arctic Russia at the LGM, and that the resulting ice sheet was part of an Arctic Ice Sheet that included an ice shelf in the Arctic Ocean and ice sheets in Greenland and North America. We present 3-D reconstructions of the Arctic Ice Sheet and, with an enlarged Antarctic Ice Sheet, we show that the ice volume is equivalent to an LGM sea level that was 130–135 m lower than at present. The reconstructions depict the Arctic Ice Sheet before and after massive thawing of the bed that allows partial gravitational collapse of the overlying ice, with a minimal change in ice volume.
Radiocarbon-dated macrofossils are used to document Holocene treeline history across northern Russia (including Siberia). Boreal forest development in this region commenced by 10,000 yr B.P. Over most of Russia, forest advanced to or near the current arctic coastline between 9000 and 7000 yr B.P. and retreated to its present position by between 4000 and 3000 yr B.P. Forest establishment and retreat was roughly synchronous across most of northern Russia. Treeline advance on the Kola Peninsula, however, appears to have occurred later than in other regions. During the period of maximum forest extension, the mean July temperatures along the northern coastline of Russia may have been 2.5° to 7.0°C warmer than modern. The development of forest and expansion of treeline likely reflects a number of complimentary environmental conditions, including heightened summer insolation, the demise of Eurasian ice sheets, reduced sea-ice cover, greater continentality with eustatically lower sea level, and extreme Arctic penetration of warm North Atlantic waters. The late Holocene retreat of Eurasian treeline coincides with declining summer insolation, cooling arctic waters, and neoglaciation.
Bugristye torfianiki Izdatelstvo Akademii Nauk SSSR, Moscow, 280 pp. (in Russian) On age of peatbogs and sequences of the vegetation in the south of West Siberia
- N I K V Piavchenko
- Kremenetski
Piavchenko, N.I., 1955. Bugristye torfianiki. Izdatelstvo Akademii Nauk SSSR, Moscow, 280 pp. (in Russian). K.V. Kremenetski et al. / Quaternary Science Reviews 22 (2003) 703–723 722 rPiavchenko, N.I., 1985. On age of peatbogs and sequences of the vegetation in the south of West Siberia. Bulletin of the Commission for Quaternary Studies 52, 164–170 (in Russian)
Handbook of a specialist in Hydromelioration of Forest
- E D Sabo
- Yu N Ivanov
- D A Shatillo
Sabo, E.D., Ivanov, Yu.N., Shatillo, D.A., 1981. Handbook of a specialist in Hydromelioration of Forest. Lesnaya Promyshlennost, Moscow, 200pp. (in Russian).
Bolota Zapadnoi Sibiri, ikh stroenie i gidrologicheskiy rezhim
- K E Ivanov
- S M Novikov
Ivanov, K.E., Novikov, S.M. (Eds), 1976. Bolota Zapadnoi Sibiri, ikh stroenie i gidrologicheskiy rezhim. Leningrad, Gidrometeoizdat, 447pp. [Bogs of West Siberia, their structure and hydrology] (in Russian).
Environment of the forest-tundra in Taz-Yenisei watershed
- N I Piavchenko
- S S Fedotov
Piavchenko, N.I., Fedotov, S.S., 1967. Environment of the forest-tundra in Taz-Yenisei watershed. In: Rastitelnost lesotundry i ee osvoenie. Nauka, Leningrad, pp. 15–37 (in Russian).
Boggy soils and bogs in Russia and their carbon pool
- S E Vompersky
- A I Ivanova
- O P Tsyganova
- N A Valiaeva
- T V Glukhova
- F I Dubinin
- L G Markelova
Vompersky, S.E., Ivanova, A.I., Tsyganova, O.P., Valiaeva, N.A., Glukhova, T.V., Dubinin, F.I., Markelova, L.G., 1994. Boggy soils and bogs in Russia and their carbon pool. Pochvovedenie 12, 17–25 (
Carex-Hypnum Bogs of the West Vasuganye
- M K Baryshnikov
Baryshnikov, M.K., 1929. Carex-Hypnum Bogs of the West Vasuga-nye. Moscow, 37pp. (in Russian).
Late Pleistocene Permafrost in European USSR
- Velichko
Velichko, A.A., Nechaev, V.P., 1984. Late Pleistocene Permafrost in European USSR. In: Velichko, A.A. (Ed.), Late Quaternary Environments of the Soviet Union. University of Minnesota Press, Minneapolis, pp. 79–86.
Radiochronometry and pollen stratigraphy of the Holocene peat bog Kayakskoye zaimische (Barabinskaya forest-steppe). Regional Geochronology of Siberia and Far East (Transactions of the Institute of
- T P Levina
- L A Orlova
- V A Panychev
- E A Ponomareva
Khlonova, A.F. (Ed.) Studies of the paleophytology of Siberia (Transactions of the Institute of Geology and Geophysics, v. 322) Nauka, Moscow, pp. 102–107. (in Russian) Levina, T.P., Orlova, L.A., Panychev, V.A., Ponomareva, E.A., 1987. Radiochronometry and pollen stratigraphy of the Holocene peat bog Kayakskoye zaimische (Barabinskaya forest-steppe). Regional Geochronology of Siberia and Far East (Transactions of the Institute of Geology and Geophysics. Vol. 690). Nauka, Novosi-birsk, pp. 136–143 (in Russian).
Climate of Barabinskaya plain in Subatlantic period as indicated by investigation of Suminskoe zaimische bog. Regional Chronology of Siberia and far East
- V A Klimanov
- T P Levina
- L A Orlova
- V A Panychev
Klimanov, V.A., Levina, T.P., Orlova, L.A., Panychev, V.A., 1987. Climate of Barabinskaya plain in Subatlantic period as indicated by investigation of Suminskoe zaimische bog. Regional Chronol-ogy of Siberia and far East. Nauka, Novosibirsk, pp. 143–149 (in Russian) Koshkarova, V.L., 1975. Holocene flora of south taiga in Middle Siberia. In: Savina, L.N. (Ed.), Holocene History of Siberian Forests Krasnoyarsk, pp. 96–101 (in Russian).
Atlas of Paleoclimates and Paleoenvironments of the Northern Hemisphere, Late Pleisto-cene—Holocene. Geographical Research Institute, Hungarian Academy of Sciences
- B Frenzel
- P Ecsi
- M Velichko
Frenzel, B., P! ecsi, M.,Velichko, A.A., 1992. Atlas of Paleoclimates and Paleoenvironments of the Northern Hemisphere, Late Pleisto-cene—Holocene. Geographical Research Institute, Hungarian Academy of Sciences, Budapest. Gustav Fischer Verlag, Buda-pest-Stuttgart, 153pp. Glebov, F.Z., 1988. Relations of Forest and Bog in the Taiga Belt.
Vegetation of the summer pasture area of reindeer
- Govorukhin
Govorukhin, V.S., 1933. Vegetation of the summer pasture area of reindeer. Zemlevedenie 35, 68–92 (in Russian).
The Holocene palaeoecology on the Ob'-Vasiugan watershed after studies of the peat section 'Vodorazdel'. Ekologya
- F Z Glebov
- L V Karpenko
- V A Klimanov
- T N Mindeeva
Glebov, F.Z., Karpenko, L.V., Klimanov, V.A., Mindeeva, T.N., 1997. The Holocene palaeoecology on the Ob'-Vasiugan watershed after studies of the peat section 'Vodorazdel'. Ekologya [Ecology] 6, 412–418 (in Russian).
Carbon pool in bogsEd.) Carbon in Forest and Bog Ecosystems in Russia Present stocks of peat and organic carbon in bog ecosystems of West Siberia Carbon Storage and Atmospheric Exchange by West Siberian Peatlands
- S P Efremov
- T T Efremova
- N V Melentieva
- S P Efremov
- T T Efremova
Efremov, S.P., Efremova, T.T., Melentieva, N.V., 1994. Carbon pool in bogs. In: Efremov, S.P. (Ed.) Carbon in Forest and Bog Ecosystems in Russia. Krasnoyarsk. pp. 128–139 (in Russian) Efremov, S.P., Efremova, T.T., 2001. Present stocks of peat and organic carbon in bog ecosystems of West Siberia. In: Bleuten, W., Lapshina, E.D. (Eds.), Carbon Storage and Atmospheric Exchange by West Siberian Peatlands. Utrecht University, Utrecht, pp. 73–78.
Bogs of the Yamal Peninsula
- M S Botch
- T V Gerasimenko
- Tolchelnikov
- S Yu
Botch, M.S., Gerasimenko, T.V., Tolchelnikov, Yu, S., 1971. Bogs of the Yamal Peninsula. Botanicheski Zhurnal 56, 1421–1435.