Effect of permafrost degradation on carbon sequestration of alpine ecosystems

Abstract

Permafrost degradation profoundly affects carbon storage in alpine ecosystems, and the response characteristics of carbon sequestration are likely to differ at the different stages of permafrost degradation. Furthermore, the sensitivity of different stages of permafrost degradation to climate change is likely to vary. However, related research is lacking so far on the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau (QTP). To investigate these issues, the Shule River headwaters on the northeastern margin of the QTP was selected. We applied InVEST and Noah-MP land surface models in combination with remote sensing and field survey data to reveal the dynamics of different carbon (vegetation carbon, soil organic carbon (SOC), and ecosystem carbon) pools from 2001 to 2020. A space-for-time analysis was used to explore the response characteristics of carbon sequestration along a gradient of permafrost degradation, ranging from lightly degraded permafrost (H-SP) to severely degraded permafrost (U-EUP), and to analyze the sensitivity of the permafrost degradation gradient to climate change. Our results showed that: (1) the sensitivity of mean annual ground temperature (MAGT) to climatic variables in the U-EUP was stronger than that in the H-SP and S-TP, respectively; (2) rising MAGT led to permafrost degradation, but increasing annual precipitation promoted permafrost conservation; (3) vegetation carbon, SOC, and ecosystem carbon had similar spatial distribution patterns, with their storage decreasing from the mountain area to the valley; (4) alpine ecosystems acted as carbon sinks with the rate of 0.34 Mg‧ha−1‧a−1 during 2001–2020, of which vegetation carbon and SOC accumulations accounted for 10.65 % and 89.35 %, respectively; and (5) the effects of permafrost degradation from H-SP to U-EUP on carbon density changed from promotion to inhibition.