CRYOSOL WORKING GROUP PARTICIPATES IN INTERNATIONAL POLAR YEAR

Cryosol Working Group members will participate in several projects of the International Polar Year (2007-2008). Two
projects are under leadership of the CWG-members and involve almost all the group. It is RASCHER (leader Sergey
Goryachkin) and CAPP (leader Peter Kuhry).

RASCHER

1.0 PROPOSER INFORMATION
(Activity ID No: 262)
1.1 Title of Activity
Response of Arctic and Subarctic soils in a changing Earth: dynamic and frontier studies
1.2 Short Form Title of Proposed Activity RASCHER
1.3 Activity Leader Details
Sergey Goryachkin
Institute of Geography, Russian Academy of Sciences, co-chair of the Cryosol Working Group at IPA and IUSS Russia
1.4 Lead International Organisation(s) (if applicable)
Cryosol Working Group - CWG at International Permafrost Association and International Union of Soil Sciences
1.5 Other Countries involved in the activity

• USA
• Germany
• Norway
• Denmark
• Poland
• Sweden
• Canada
• Iceland
• Finland
• France

1.6 Expression of Intent ID #'s brought together in this proposed activity 00
1.7 Location of Field Activities Arctic
1.8 Which IPY themes are addressed
1. Current state of the environment
2. Change in the polar regions
3. Polar-global linkages/tele-connections
4. Exploring new frontiers
6. The human dimension in polar regions
1.9 What is the main IPY target addressed by this activity
1. Natural or social science
2.0 SUMMARY OF THE ACTIVITY
Soils of Polar Regions are a very important membrane in bio-cryospheric interactions, regulating natural and human-induced processes in ecosystems and landscapes of the North Latitudes. The knowledge of positive and negative feedbacks in the system climate-vegetation-soil-permafrost' are of the crucial significance for understanding and forecasting response of this system to global change.

RASCHER addresses how climate variability and change can affect the soil systems of the polar (Subarctic and Arctic) regions and their sustainability. To provide accurate projections on the impact of climate change and increase of anthropogenic influence on these systems requires improved knowledge of its components and their linkages. Soil has both very inert and changeable parameters, which are altered differently because of climate change. RASCHER will mainly focus on the study of temporal change of labile soil characteristics (temperature, carbon fluxes and other gas fluxes, microbiota and microfauna) and of more stable soil characteristics (mineral composition, organic matter content and quality, morphological features, taxonomical status) in different kinds of frontiers (treeline, tundra-bog border, southern border of permafrost, contact zone of soil and permafrost table in a profile), which are expected to be changed first due to climate change. Together with climate-induced change the influence of the other regional and international processes - shift of resource development, increased tourism and relevant infrastructure to the north - on permafrost-affected soils will be studied. RASCHER will be based on both database analysis and field studies. The database on soil temperatures for dozens of meteorological stations of arctic and boreal regions for the period 50-100 years and the northern circumpolar soil database are already compiled and can be used for analysis. The field studies will be carried out in the different regions of Arctic and Subarctic during 2006-2008. To understand the effects of global change on northern polar soils firstly the long-term climatic trends and correlation of air and soil temperatures on the various depths will be carried out and the relevant models will be developed. Using the prognosis for climate change the spatial model of soil temperature change in northern polar latitudes will be elaborated.

The potential development of northern industries, settlements and transport infrastructure (roads, pipelines) relevant to soil change will be forecasted together with social geographers and specialists in land management. The analysis of previously gained data on anthropogenic impact on permafrost-affected soils and field work in relevant human-changed environments will allow to elaborate the spatial prognostic model of anthropogenic change of Arctic and Subarctic soils.

The Northern circumpolar soil database will help to differentiate this forecast related to kinds of soils and substrate.
The role of thermal factor in composition and functioning of the biotic complex of tundra soils (microbiota, micro- and mesofauna) as well as the selective role of negative temperatures on the structure of soil microbiocenoses and the influence of cryogenesis on adaptive functions of soil microorganisms will be studied both in the field and in a laboratory using traditional and new (DNA analysis) methods. It allows comparing new data with results of studies carried out at the same locations 30-40 years ago and assessing if any climate-induced change of soil biota has taken place. The samples collected from the same places as 20 years ago will be analyzed for the 14C activity and the soil carbon renovation rates will be calculated (Cherkinsky-Brovkin model) and then will be compared with old samples to find out if it is any acceleration of carbon turnover due to global change.

The frontier studies will concern the non-stability of soil thermic regimes, shrinking of isolated patches and the northward retreat of permafrost-affected soils, the assessments of possible soil change related to the vegetation transformation on the base of soil studies (carbon fluxes, humus quality, mineral composition, etc.) in different types of ecotones (forest-tundra, tundra-bog, forest-meadow, forest-bog, meadow-tundra). The other part of frontier studies is the detailed analysis of soil process at the interface of soil and permafrost tables. It concerns the study of the bio- and geochemical barrier on this interface and the study of the process of cryogenic lateral transportation at the contact zone of soil and permafrost table. This interface is the zone of high concentration of organic matter and other compounds, including pollutants. The detailed physico-chemical studies will allow determining the fate of this matter in case of permafrost thawing due to climate change or anthropogenic impact.

Soils will be linked with vegetation and changes in vegetation by linking various geospatial data layers to improve our knowledge and the distribution of soils and their environmental linkages More details see on
http://www.ipy.org/development/eoi/proposal-details.php?id=262.

CAPP

1.0 PROPOSER INFORMATION
(Activity ID No: 373)
1.1 Title of Activity
CARBON POOLS IN PERMAFROST REGIONS
1.2 Short Form Title of Proposed Activity
CAPP
1.3 Activity Leader Details
Peter Kuhry
Stockholm University
Sweden
1.4 Lead International Organisation(s) (if applicable)
IPA
1.5 Other Countries involved in the activity

• Canada
• UK
• China
• Russia
• The Netherlands
• Australia
• Germany
• France
• Finland
• USA
• Switzerland (European Commission)

1.6 Expression of Intent ID #'s brought together in this proposed activity
00,00
1.7 Location of Field Activities
Bipolar
1.8 Which IPY themes are addressed
1. Current state of the environment
2. Change in the polar regions
3. Polar-global linkages/tele-connections
5. The polar regions as vantage points
1.9 What is the main IPY target addressed by this activity
1. Natural or social science
2.0 SUMMARY OF THE ACTIVITY
The International Permafrost Association 'Carbon Pools in Permafrost Regions' (IPA CAPP) Project aims at quantifying, characterizing and modeling below-ground organic matter quantity and quality along ecoclimatic and edaphic gradients in high latitude and high altitude regions characterized by the presence of isolated to continuous permafrost.

The CAPP Project coordinates its activities with other international programs such as the ESSP Global Carbon Project and
the WCRP Climate and Cryosphere Project, and aims to develop an active network of scientists engaged in this type of
research.

In the initial stage the existing Northern Circumpolar Soil Carbon Database (NCSCD) of the IPA/IUSS Cryosol Working Group will be further developed, by adding new data and information on carbon in permafrost, non-permafrost and peat soils. The NCSCD will aim to incorporate already existing data from poorly represented regions (e.g. Russia), and also from lake sediments and deep ice- and carbon-rich Quaternary deposits. CAPP related research and monitoring carried out by project participants is currently restricted to a limited number of locations. Within this project the participants will contribute to and initiate new research activities at up to 10-12 high latitude transects in the northern hemisphere, complemented by 2 transects in the sub-Antarctic and Antarctic regions, and additional altitudinal transects in high alpine environments.
CAPP is therefore linked closely with IPY projects ANTPAS (33), TSP (50) and ACCO-NET (90).

The allocation of below-ground carbon in the landscape and quantity and quality among different permafrost settings will be investigated through intensive study sites along the transects. The organic matter will be analyzed using a hierarchy of increasingly sophisticated geochemical and absolute dating techniques.

An important objective is to develop a carbon database that can be linked with remote sensing classifications at global to regional scales used in climate, biome and ecosystem models. Gained expert knowledge about soil carbon related processes will be used in process-based dynamic global vegetation models for a more reliable projection of the future terrestrial component of the global carbon balance and for model validation purposes. Results from CAPP will enable climate models to include one of the potentially most significant positive feedbacks in the global climate system.

Protocols are developed for the carbon database, field sampling, physico-chemical analyses and upscaling exercises. CAPP activities will provide better understanding of total below-ground organic matter allocation and its susceptibility to decay. This will be used to evaluate the fate of this very significant carbon pool under global warming. High latitude terrestrial ecosystems are important reservoirs of soil organic matter. There is more carbon in these below-ground pools than in the living phytomass of all forests on Earth together. It is therefore important to communicate to the wider scientific community and general public the potential role of thawing permafrost carbon stocks in the Earth System.
More details see on
http://www.ipy.org/development/eoi/proposal-details.php?id=373

NORTHERN CIRCUMPOLAR SOIL DATABASE AND DERIVED SOIL MAPS IN DIFFERENT CLASSIFICATION SYSTEMS
SOURCES FOR NORTHERN CICUMPOLAR
SOIL DATABASE

EUROPE
• European Soil Bureau. 1999. The European Soil Database, version 1.0. CD-ROM. Ispra, Italy.
• O. Arnalds and E .Gretarsson. 2001. Generalized Soil Map of Iceland. 2nd edition. Agricultural Research Institute (Rala), Reykjavik, Iceland
• Fridland, V.M. (ed.). 1988. Soil map of the RSFSR. V.V.Dokuchaev Soil Institute, Moscow. (Scale 1:2,500,000)
  ASIA
• Naumov, E.M. 1993. Soil map of the North-East of Eurasia. V.V.Dokuchaev Soil Institute, Moscow. (Scale 1:2,500,000).
• Dorzhgotov, D. and N.A.Nogina. 1990. The Soil map of Mongolia.
  Atlas of Mongolia. Ulan Bator. (Scale 1:3,000,000).Uspanov, U.U. (ed.). 1976. Soil map of the Kazakh SSR. GUGK, Moscow. (Scale 1:2,500,000).
  NORTH AMERICA
• Tarnocai, C. and B.Lacelle. 1996. The Soil Organic Carbon Digital Database of Canada. Research Branch, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, Ottawa, Canada.
• US Soil Conservation Service. 1994. The State Soil Geographic Database, STATSGO. NRCS, USDA. Jakobsen B.H. and A.Eiby. 1997. Soil map of Greenland. II International Conference on Cryopedology, Syktyvkar. Russia.
  

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The book of cryosols
(permafrost affected soils)

Awaiting for...