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Alpine permafrost could account for a quarter of thawed carbon based on Plio-Pleistocene paleoclimate analogue

Author

Listed:
  • Feng Cheng

    (Peking University
    University of Rochester)

  • Carmala Garzione

    (University of Rochester
    Rochester Institute of Technology
    University of Arizona)

  • Xiangzhong Li

    (Yunnan University
    Chinese Academy of Science)

  • Ulrich Salzmann

    (Northumbria University)

  • Florian Schwarz

    (Northumbria University)

  • Alan M. Haywood

    (University of Leeds, Woodhouse Lane)

  • Julia Tindall

    (University of Leeds, Woodhouse Lane)

  • Junsheng Nie

    (Lanzhou University)

  • Lin Li

    (University of Arizona)

  • Lin Wang

    (The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology)

  • Benjamin W. Abbott

    (Brigham Young University)

  • Ben Elliott

    (University of California)

  • Weiguo Liu

    (Chinese Academy of Science)

  • Deepshikha Upadhyay

    (University of California)

  • Alexandrea Arnold

    (University of California)

  • Aradhna Tripati

    (University of California)

Abstract

Estimates of the permafrost-climate feedback vary in magnitude and sign, partly because permafrost carbon stability in warmer-than-present conditions is not well constrained. Here we use a Plio-Pleistocene lacustrine reconstruction of mean annual air temperature (MAAT) from the Tibetan Plateau, the largest alpine permafrost region on the Earth, to constrain past and future changes in permafrost carbon storage. Clumped isotope-temperatures (Δ47-T) indicate warmer MAAT (~1.2 °C) prior to 2.7 Ma, and support a permafrost-free environment on the northern Tibetan Plateau in a warmer-than-present climate. Δ47-T indicate ~8.1 °C cooling from 2.7 Ma, coincident with Northern Hemisphere glacial intensification. Combined with climate models and global permafrost distribution, these results indicate, under conditions similar to mid-Pliocene Warm period (3.3–3.0 Ma), ~60% of alpine permafrost containing ~85 petagrams of carbon may be vulnerable to thawing compared to ~20% of circumarctic permafrost. This estimate highlights ~25% of permafrost carbon and the permafrost-climate feedback could originate in alpine areas.

Suggested Citation

  • Feng Cheng & Carmala Garzione & Xiangzhong Li & Ulrich Salzmann & Florian Schwarz & Alan M. Haywood & Julia Tindall & Junsheng Nie & Lin Li & Lin Wang & Benjamin W. Abbott & Ben Elliott & Weiguo Liu &, 2022. "Alpine permafrost could account for a quarter of thawed carbon based on Plio-Pleistocene paleoclimate analogue," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 13(1), pages 1-12, December.
    • Handle: RePEc:nat:natcom:v:13:y:2022:i:1:d:10.1038_s41467-022-29011-2
    DOI: 10.1038/s41467-022-29011-2
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    Cited by:

    1. Juan Pedro Rodríguez-López & Chihua Wu & Tatiana A. Vishnivetskaya & Julian B. Murton & Wenqiang Tang & Chao Ma, 2022. "Permafrost in the Cretaceous supergreenhouse," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 13(1), pages 1-15, December.
    2. Guibiao Yang & Zhihu Zheng & Benjamin W. Abbott & David Olefeldt & Christian Knoblauch & Yutong Song & Luyao Kang & Shuqi Qin & Yunfeng Peng & Yuanhe Yang, 2023. "Characteristics of methane emissions from alpine thermokarst lakes on the Tibetan Plateau," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 14(1), pages 1-11, December.

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