Leakage of old carbon dioxide from a major river system in the Canadian Arctic

Journal article

The Canadian Arctic is warming at an unprecedented rate. Warming-induced permafrost thaw can lead to mobilization of aged carbon from stores in soils and rocks. Tracking the carbon pools supplied to surrounding river networks provides insight on pathways and processes of greenhouse gas release. Here, we investigated the dual-carbon isotopic characteristics of the dissolved inorganic carbon (DIC) pool in the main stem and tributaries of the Mackenzie River system. The radiocarbon (¹⁴C) activity of DIC shows export of “old” carbon (2,380 ± 1,040 ¹⁴C years BP on average) occurred during summer in sampling years. The stable isotope composition of river DIC implicates degassing of aged carbon as CO₂ from riverine tributaries during transport to the delta; however, information on potential drivers and fluxes are still lacking. Accounting for stable isotope fractionation during CO₂ loss, we show that a large proportion of this aged carbon (60 ± 10%) may have been sourced from biospheric organic carbon oxidation, with other inputs from carbonate weathering pathways and atmospheric exchange. The findings highlight hydrologically connected waters as viable pathways for mobilization of aged carbon pools from Arctic permafrost soils.

Authors: Dasari, S; Garnett, MH; Hilton, RG

• Publication status: Published
• Peer review status: Peer reviewed
• Publisher: Oxford University Press
• Journal: PNAS Nexus
• Volume: 3
• Issue: 4
• Article number: pgae134
• Publication date: 2024-03-29
• Acceptance date: 2024-03-22
• DOI: 10.1093/pnasnexus/pgae134
• EISSN: 2752-6542
• ISSN: 2752-6542
• Language: English
• Keywords: Arctic carbon cycle; CO2 evasion; permafrost; carbon isotopes; dissolved inorganic carbon