Abstract (from http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/2014JG002683/abstract): Changes in vegetation and soil properties following permafrost degradation and thermokarst development in peatlands may cause changes in net carbon storage. To better understand these dynamics, we established three sites in Alaska that vary in permafrost regime, including a black spruce peat plateau forest with stable permafrost, an internal collapse scar bog formed as a result of thermokarst, and a rich fen without permafrost. Measurements include year-round eddy covariance estimates of carbon dioxide (CO2 ), water, and energy fluxes, associated environmental variables, and methane (CH4 ) fluxes at the collapse scar bog. The ecosystems all acted as [...]
