Storage Dynamics Research Articles

Dynamics of heavy metals in the fine sediments from a subtropical forest headwater stream during a rainy season

ABSTRACT Headwater streams, as the capillaries of rivers, largely control the functional integrity of the entire river network. Headwater stream sediments, especially fine sediments, are essential ecosystem components and dominant reservoirs for heavy metals, with these reservoirs significantly affecting their cycling in streams. However, the dynamics of heavy metals in headwater stream sediments are not well assessed in the literature. Here, we assessed the temporal and spatial storage dynamics of several common heavy metals (i.e., Mn, Zn, Cu, Cr, Cd, and Pb) in the fine sediments from a typical subtropical forest headwater stream during the rainy season of 2021 (Mar–Aug). We found that (1) the mean storage of fine sediment of heavy metals was ordered Mn (21.57 g m−2) > Pb (2.53 g m−2) > Zn (2.27 g m−2) > Cr (0.66 g m−2) > Cu (0.12 g m−2) > Cd (0.006 g m−2); (2) their storage had a transient increase during the rainy season, followed by a decrease, but storage of both Zn and Cr was unevenly distributed from stream source to mouth; and (3) the key factors controlling heavy metal storage were water alkalinity, temperature, and pH, as well as monthly precipitation. These findings suggest that forest headwater streams can store heavy metals, but the amounts vary across temporal and spatial scales. Our results help us better understand the role of headwater streams in storing and transferring materials in forest ecosystems.

Quantifying groundwater storage dynamics in the Chesapeake Bay watershed (USA) using a large-scale integrated hydrologic model with detailed three-dimensional subsurface representation

Quantifying groundwater storage dynamics in the Chesapeake Bay watershed (USA) using a large-scale integrated hydrologic model with detailed three-dimensional subsurface representation

The Numerical Formulation of Simple Hysteretic Models to Simulate the Large‐Scale Hydrological Impacts of Prairie Depressions

AbstractTopographic depressions have large impacts on the hydrology, ecology, and biogeochemistry in prairie environments. Topographic depressions control the hydrological flow regime through their role in storing water from precipitation and snow melt, and the storage dynamics of topographic depressions affect the retention, transformations, and transport of sediment, carbon, and nutrients. The water stored in topographic depressions supports a diversity of animal and plant species. More generally, depressional wetlands are an integral component of global water, energy, and biogeochemical cycles. In this technical note, we present simple models to simulate hysteretic relationships between storage and contributing area. We consider both spatially distributed and spatially integrated models. The spatially distributed models (the ensemble‐depression model) explicitly simulate storage dynamics for a distribution of discrete depressions. In these spatially distributed models, the large‐scale storage‐contributing fraction relationships are an emergent property of the modeled system. The spatially integrated models (the meta‐depression model) parameterize the large‐scale storage‐discharge relationships. The spatially integrated models are formulated in a way to represent hysteretic behavior. We present a suite of numerical experiments and demonstrate that the ensemble‐depression and meta‐depression models have similar large‐scale behavior. The simple hysteretic models defined here are formulated in a way so that they can easily be incorporated in conventional hydrological models.

Analytical predictions of cryogen storage in open and closed tanks

• Storage dynamics of cryogen in a closed tank subjected to external heat leak. • An analytical model predicts the rise in pressure and vapour space temperature. • Comparison of characteristics of storing cryogen in a closed and open tank. • Parametric study relating the effects of heat leak rate and initial ullage volume. • Storage of cryogens in cylindrical and spherical tanks in open and closed states. The manuscript elaborates a new analytical approach illustrating the dynamic pressure and temperature variations of stored cryogen in a closed tank subjected to external heat input (also known as ‘ self-pressurization ’). The proposed method follows a proven formalism adopted for predicting the evaporation of cryogenic liquid in an open tank (often termed isobaric storing). While the new mathematical model for ‘self-pressurization’ has been validated with other researchers’ available experimental data, the ‘ open ’ storage performance analyses are verified with the in-house test results. The parametric studies involving external heat ingress, ullage space, and the geometrical tank shapes (spherical and cylindrical) reveal the essential features of storing (considering liquid hydrogen as the cryogen), highlighting the similarities and dissimilarities of the two storage options. Although the expressions for the ullage space temperatures of a ‘ closed ’ and ‘ open ’ tank are similar, the actual variations differ in two fundamentally dissimilar storage systems. The average temperature rise of the ullage space vapour in a closed tank reaches a maximum before falling in contrast to a monotonic increase of the same in an open tank. Under identical circumstances, storage performance in the spherical tank, both open and closed, is better than a cylindrical one.

Variably saturated dual-permeability flow modeling to assess distributed infiltration and vadose storage dynamics of a karst aquifer – The Western Mountain Aquifer in Israel and the West Bank

Available methods to quantify the recharge of karst aquifers usually rely on spatially and temporally aggregated precipitation measurements and simplified recharge models, employing transfer functions to account for the delay in infiltration and the distribution in time and space. They generally neglect the non-linear nature of infiltration dynamics through the vadose zone, characterized by dual flow behavior with slow diffuse and rapid focused recharge components. Here, we present a methodology that accounts for the physics of flow by employing a variably saturated dual-permeability flow model to simulate diffuse and preferential infiltration in a large-scale carbonate aquifer. The Western Mountain Aquifer (WMA) in Israel and the West Bank was selected as a suitable groundwater basin because of the large thickness of the vadose zone, extending over several hundred-meters, the availability of long-term data as well as the catchment size, stretching across a catchment area of circa 9000km2. Together, these characteristics allow the identification and quantification of the spatio-temporal distribution of the infiltration/recharge component, assessed at the level of the groundwater table. The presented methodology allows for improved water resources planning and generalization of the results, i.e., the robustness of large-scale model results with respect to local hydraulic parameter variations and data uncertainty. Semi-arid climate regions with a highly pronounced seasonality of precipitation and intense short-duration rainfalls, such as the Mediterranean region, represent a prime study location because of the clear and pronounced recharge input signals that are not superimposed by summer rainstorms. We simulate the complex dynamics of the dual-domain infiltration and partitioning of the precipitation input signal by employing HydroGeoSphere (HGS) for transient variably saturated water flow. Flow in the limestone rock matrix and high porosity system (i.e., conduits and fractures) is modeled by overlapping individual continua based on the bulk-effective Richards’ equation with van Genuchten (VG) parameters.

Late-Holocene Sediment Storage in Upland Valley Systems in the Gamo Highlands of Southern Ethiopia

Part of the eroded soil material from the hillslopes is temporarily stored on hillslopes and in river valleys as colluvial and alluvial storage, respectively. This storage component of a catchment’s sediment budget is an important archive reflecting past erosion and sediment delivery processes in relation to both natural and anthropogenic environmental changes. Information on long-term sediment dynamics (i.e., centennial to millennial timescales) is generally lacking for tropical mountain environments. Here, we quantify long-term floodplain sediment storage and sedimentation dynamics in the Gamo highlands of the southern Ethiopia Rift Valley. In two upstream catchments (Chencha and Dembelle), a detailed survey of the floodplain sediment archive was conducted through hand augering of 37 cross-valley transects. Sediment thicknesses vary between 4 and 8 m and total storage equals 0.03 Mt ha−1 floodplain area for the Chencha area and 0.05 Mt ha−1 floodplain area for the Dembelle area. Radiocarbon dating of organic material retrieved from the sediment archives provided a temporal framework for interpretation of sedimentation processes dynamic. The mean sedimentation rate in the Chencha floodplain is ~3.22 ± 0.33 kt ha−1 catchment area, whereas it is ~3.76 ± 0.22 kt ha−1 catchment area for the Dembelle floodplain. Up to 70% of the total sediment mass is stored in the floodplains within the most recent 2000 years. Cumulative probability function plots of radiocarbon dates show that sedimentation started to increase from ca 2000 to ca 1600 cal BP, roughly coincident with an increase in human presence, as is indicated through archaeological data.

Water Balance in Alpine Catchments by Sentinel Data

AbstractA comprehensive and reliable water balance of snow‐dominated alpine catchments is required for a holistic analysis of the hydrological and hydrogeological processes. A major limitation to the elaboration of this balance in alpine terrain is the difficulty of data acquisition as well as the limited presence of meteorological stations. Remotely sensed data can provide valuable information for the water balance assessment on a regional scale. We exploited Sentinel‐satellite data to estimate the groundwater storage for one hydrologic year in an extensive Alpine catchment located in northern Italy by means of the residual water balance approach. In particular, Evapotranspiration (ET) and Snow Water Equivalent were estimated with the combined use of Sentinel data, at a spatial resolution of 20 and 30 m, respectively. The results show that the adopted satellite‐based methods allow obtaining consistent and physically realistic values to describe the groundwater storage dynamics. In the period 2018–2020, a positive storage occurred only during the snowmelt period and the overall storage was negative, leading to a net lowering of the groundwater level in the floodplain. In addition, the influence of physiographic parameters (altitude, slope, and aspect) and seasonality on the estimates of ET and snow‐depth were investigated.

Variations in the water storage capacity of a mountain peatland with complex stratigraphy

Peatlands in mountain regions commonly occur in valley bottoms and tend to have a complex soil profile due to the geomorphically dynamic environment. Characterization of the specific yield for mountain peatlands is rare despite that it is a parameter that is critical for modelling water table position, determining the water release rate and simulating carbon storage dynamics. The specific yield of a fen peatland in the Canadian Rocky Mountains, Alberta, Canada, was studied along with the factors affecting it. Specific yield was estimated using the water table fluctuation method for 82 rainfall events at a series of shallow well sites, totaling 225 event-well combinations. Specific yield showed strong depth dependency declining logarithmically with depth, but only within the upper 50 cm. Below 50 cm depth, the variability of specific yield increased. Specific yield at depth was controlled by spatial variations in peat-sediment stratigraphy. The bootstrapped, depth-integrated median specific yield [lower, upper 95 % confidence intervals] was 0.21 [0.17, 0.25] for the peat-mineral-gravel soil profile, 0.11 [0.07, 0.16] for the peat-mineral-peat soil profile, and 0.16 [0.12, 0.22] for the Carex-Sphagnum peat soil profile. The analysis also shows a strong effect of year, with lower specific yield occurring in drier years. The study has implications for the modelling of hydrologic and carbon dynamics of mountain fens, and for supporting low flows under climate change.

Importance of Nuclear Quantum Effects on Aqueous Electrolyte Transport under Confinement in Ti3C2 MXenes.

Protons display a high chemical activity and strongly affect the charge storage capability in confined interlayer spaces of two-dimensional (2D) materials. As such, an accurate representation of proton dynamics under confinement is important for understanding and predicting charge storage dynamics in these materials. While often ignored in atomistic-scale simulations, nuclear quantum effects (NQEs), e.g., tunneling, can be significant under confinement even at room temperature. Using the thermostatted ring polymer molecular dynamics implementation of path integral molecular dynamics (PIMD) in conjunction with the ReaxFF force field, density functional tight binding (DFTB), and NequIP neural network potential simulations, we investigate the role of NQEs on proton and water transport in bulk water and aqueous electrolytes under confinement in Ti3C2 MXenes. Although overall NQEs are relatively small, especially in bulk, we find that they can alter both quantitative values and qualitative trends on both proton transport and water self-diffusion under confinement relative to classical MD predictions. Therefore, our results suggest the need for NQEs to be considered to simulate aqueous systems under confinement for both qualitative and quantitative accuracy.

Causes of Missing Snowmelt Following Drought

AbstractWater management in snowy mountainous regions hinges on forecasting snowmelt runoff. However, droughts are altering snowpack‐runoff relationships with ongoing debate about the driving mechanisms. For example, in 2021 in California, less than half of predicted streamflow arrived. Mechanisms proposed for this “missing” streamflow included changes in evapotranspiration (ET), rainfall, and subsurface moisture conditions. Here, we demonstrate that ET in drought years generates dry subsurface conditions that reduce runoff in subsequent years. A model including this legacy of depleted moisture storage reduced median error in 2021 forecasts from 60% to 20% at 15 minimally disturbed basins and from 18% to 2% at 6 water supply basins in the Sierra Nevada (basins range in area from 5 to 23,051 km2 and mean annual precipitation from 814 to 1,549 mm). Our findings indicate that the relationship between snowpack and runoff will evolve as plant ecosystems respond to climate change and alter subsurface water storage dynamics.

Assessing the impact of land use and changes in land cover related to carbon storage by linking trajectory analysis and InVEST models in the Nandu River Basin on Hainan Island in China

This study aims to evaluate the effects of the spatiotemporal patterns of land-use and land-cover (LULC) changes on the dynamics of carbon storage in a tropical region of China by linking the trajectory analysis of LULC changes and the InVEST model. Based on remote sensing (RS), geographic information system (GIS) and change trajectories, the spatiotemporal evolution of LULC changes was explored. This evolution could be coupled with the spatiotemporal LULC change trajectories and the InVEST model for the quantitative study of the spatial distribution and temporal variation in regional carbon stocks. The results showed that during the 2000–2020 period, the built-up land continually increased to 206.05 km2 through urban expansion, and forestland became the dominant type of land, with an area of 357.39 km2. In addition to the change in land use, the carbon storage in the study region increased by 4.87 Tg C. The anaphasic trajectory had the largest area ratio at 7.05% in the total area, while the prophasic trajectory contributed to the largest increase in carbon storage, 5.87 Tg C. Moreover, the repetitive trajectories had no impact on carbon sinks and sources, whereas the anaphasic trajectory and the continual trajectory imposed passive impacts on carbon storage. These advances in research underpin scientific efforts to improve the understanding of the relationship between the optimization of land-use structure and patterns and the carbon storage service in the Nandu River Basin.

Dynamics of Ca and Mg storage of non-woody debris in a subtropical forest headwater stream during the rainy season.

Forest headwater streams are the monumental cement for relating habitats of the terrene and water. Nutri-ent dynamics of non-woody debris in stream can directly and indirectly regulate the cycle and transport of forest nutrients, for example, Ca and Mg. In the rainy season (from March to August) of 2021, we monitored the dyna-mics of Ca and Mg storage of non-woody debris in a typical headwater stream in a subtropical forest. The results showed that total Ca and Mg storage of non-woody debris per unit area of stream ranged from 178.1 to 890.5 mg·m-2 and 13.8 to 61.6 mg·m-2 during the rainy season, respectively. The Ca and Mg storages of non-woody debris per unit area of stream during the rainy season displayed a pattern of first increase and then decrease, and overall a decrease pattern. The storage varied significantly among different sites, with higher values in stream source than others. The total Ca and Mg storage of non-woody debris positively correlated with precipitation, but negatively with stream water alkalinity, temperature, and dissolved oxygen. The variation of riparian forest type (e.g., Castano-psis carlesii forests or mixed coniferous forests) and with or without tributaries did not affect the storage of Ca and Mg in stream non-woody debris. During the rainy season, total Ca and Mg storage of non-woody debris in the headwater stream from forest generally decreased over time, which was mainly controlled by the characteristics of rainfall and stream.

Extracellular enzyme stoichiometry reveals carbon and nitrogen limitations closely linked to bacterial communities in China's largest saline lake.

Saline lakes possess substantial carbon storage and play essential roles in global carbon cycling. Benthic microorganisms mine and decompose sediment organic matter via extracellular enzymes to acquire limiting nutrients and thus meet their element budgets, which ultimately causes variations in sediment carbon storage. However, current knowledge about microbial nutrient limitation and the associated organic carbon changes especially in saline lake remains elusive. Therefore, we took Qinghai Lake, the largest saline lake of China, as an example to identify the patterns and drivers of microbial metabolic limitations quantified by the vector analyses of extracellular enzyme stoichiometry. Benthic microorganisms were dominantly colimited by carbon (C) and nitrogen (N). Such microbial C limitation was aggravated upon the increases in water salinity and sediment total phosphorus, which suggests that sediment C loss would be elevated when the lake water is concentrated (increasing salinity) and phosphorus becomes enriched under climate change and nutrient pollution, respectively. Microbial N limitation was predominantly intensified by water total nitrogen and inhibited by C limitation. Among the microbial drivers of extracellular enzyme investments, bacterial community structure consistently exerted significant effects on the C, N, and P cycles and microbial C and N limitations, while fungi only altered the P cycle through species richness. These findings advance our knowledge of microbial metabolic limitation in saline lakes, which will provide insights towards a better understanding of global sediment C storage dynamics under climate warming and intensified human activity.

Terrestrial Water Storage Dynamics: Different Roles of Climate Variability, Vegetation Change, and Human Activities across Climate Zones in China

Understanding terrestrial water storage (TWS) dynamics and associated drivers (e.g., climate variability, vegetation change, and human activities) across climate zones is essential for designing water resources management strategies in a changing environment. This study estimated TWS anomalies (TWSAs) based on the corrected Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment (GRACE) gravity satellite data and derived driving factors for 214 watersheds across six climate zones in China. We evaluated the long-term trends and stationarities of TWSAs from 2004 to 2014 using the Mann–Kendall trend test and Augmented Dickey-Fuller stationarity test, respectively, and identified the key driving factors for TWSAs using the partial correlation analysis. The results indicated that increased TWSAs were observed in watersheds in tropical and subtropical climate zones, while decreased TWSAs were found in alpine and warm temperate watersheds. For tropical watersheds, increases in TWS were caused by increasing water conservation capacity as a result of large-scale plantations and the implementation of natural forest protection programs. For subtropical watersheds, TWS increments were driven by increasing precipitation and forestation. The decreasing tendency in TWS in warm temperate watersheds was related to intensive human activities. In the cold temperate zone, increased precipitation and soil moisture resulting from accelerated and advanced melting of frozen soils outweigh the above-ground evapotranspiration losses, which consequently led to the upward tendency in TWS in some watersheds (e.g., Xiaoxing’anling mountains). In the alpine climate zone, significant declines in TWS were caused by declined precipitation and soil moisture and increased evapotranspiration and glacier retreats due to global warming, as well as increased agriculture activities. These findings can provide critical scientific evidence and guidance for policymakers to design adaptive strategies and plans for watershed-scale water resources and forest management in different climate zones.

Inferring decelerated land subsidence and groundwater storage dynamics in Tianjin–Langfang using Sentinel-1 InSAR

ABSTRACT To meet the growing demand for socioeconomic development, a large amount of groundwater is extracted from confined aquifers worldwide. The North China Plain has experienced considerable groundwater depletion and subsidence during the past six decades. In this study, we use Sentinel-1A/B SAR images from 2015 to 2020 to map the ground subsidence of the Tianjin–Langfang area. Three subsiding zones centered at Guangyang, Wuqing–Bazhou, and Jinghai are identified with maximum subsidence rates of 98.1, 121.8, and 104.7 mm/yr. Seasonal and long-term signals are separated from time series subsidence and hydraulic measurements using continuous wavelet transform to retrieve aquifer parameters. The long-term subsidence, which fits well with an exponential decaying model, remarkably slows down in our study area. The elastic skeletal storage coefficients range between 0.52×10−3 and 9.66×10−3. We then retrieve the spatial–temporal variations of total groundwater storage, recoverable groundwater storage, and irreversible groundwater storage. Groundwater storage depletion rates are apparently reducing, which benefits from the operation of the South-to-North Water Transfer Project and local groundwater management practices.

Soil moisture controls on the dynamics of nonstructural carbohydrate storage in Picea meyeri during the growing season

Nonstructural carbohydrate (NSC) dynamics have been suggested to be an important trait reflecting carbon balance under environmental changes. However, our understanding of NSC storage dynamics, their controls, and their responses to environmental factors remain unclear. In this study, we selected the evergreen conifer Picea meyeri at five altitudes (2040 m, 2260 m, 2440 m, 2600 m, and 2740 m a.s.l.) on Luya Mountain, North-central China. NSC concentrations in the needles, shoots, stems, and roots were measured, and the environmental variables were monitored during the growing seasons in 2018 and 2019. The results showed that the NSCs first decreased slightly and then increased gradually as altitude increased in the needles, shoots, stems, and roots. The NSC concentrations with the highest levels occurring in the needles and the lowest in the stems, whereas the shoots and roots showed intermediate concentrations. Moreover, soil moisture was the major factor influencing the dynamics of NSC storage in P. meyeri. The concentrations of soluble sugars and starch in all four organs increased with decreasing soil moisture, except for needle starch. In particular, the soluble sugars in the needles were significantly negatively correlated with air temperature, and those in the stems had a different response to soil moisture and vapor pressure deficit (VPD). Furthermore, root NSCs reserves may be important for P. meyeri to respond to low soil moisture. These findings provide new insights for understanding tree NSC allocation and the mechanism of stress resistance.

Letter to the editor regarding Uri et al. (2022): The dynamics of the carbon storage and fluxes in Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris) chronosequence

Letter to the editor regarding Uri et al. (2022): The dynamics of the carbon storage and fluxes in Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris) chronosequence

Prediction of soil water storage using temporal stability in different landscape positions on the northern loess plateau, China

AbstractSoil water storage (SWS) dynamics are affected by many factors in semiarid regions such as the Loess Plateau. Spatiotemporal variation of SWS varies greatly with different landscape positions due to the rolling and fragmented terrain landscape of the Loess Plateau. However, information on the SWS and its temporal stability at different landscape positions is lacking. In this study, hillslope, dam land and gully landscape positions were selected in a typical small watershed in the Loess Plateau. A soil water observation belt with 28 sample locations was set up at each landscape position, and temporal stability analysis was conducted using SWS data of 12 sampling events. The results showed that the variation characteristics of profile SWS are influenced by landscape position. The persistence of spatial SWS patterns in different landscape positions increases with the increase of soil depth. On each landscape position, representative locations can accurately predict their SWS based on temporal stability analysis. Moreover, the stability of SWS at the representative locations was more important than its content during the prediction process. The dominant factors that lead to the difference of temporal stability characteristics in different landscape positions varied with the change in soil depths. The results provide an important basis for vegetation reconstruction and water management in small Loess Plateau watersheds.

Benchmarking global hydrological and land surface models against GRACE in a medium-sized tropical basin

Abstract. The increasing reliance on global models to address climate and human stresses on hydrology and water resources underlines the necessity for assessing the reliability of these models. In river basins where availability of gauging information from terrestrial networks is poor, models are increasingly proving to be a powerful tool to support hydrological studies and water resources assessments (WRA). However, the lack of in situ data hampers rigorous performance assessment, particularly in tropical basins where discordance between global models is considerable. Remotely sensed data of the terrestrial water storage obtained from the Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment (GRACE) satellite mission can provide independent data against which the performance of such global models can be evaluated. However, how well GRACE data represents the dynamics of terrestrial water storage depends on basin scale and hydrological characteristics. Here we assess the reliability of six global hydrological models (GHMs) and four land surface models (LSMs) available at two resolutions. We compare the dynamics of modelled Total Water Storage (TWS) with TWS derived from GRACE data over the Magdalena–Cauca basin in Colombia. This medium-sized tropical basin has a well-developed gauging network when compared to other basins at similar latitudes, providing unique opportunity to contrast modelled TWS and GRACE data across a range of scales. We benchmark monthly TWS changes from each model against GRACE data for 2002–2014, evaluating monthly variability, seasonality, and long-term variability trends. The TWS changes are evaluated at basin level, as well as for selected sub-basins with decreasing basin size. We find that the models poorly represent TWS for the monthly time series, but they improve in representing seasonality and long-term variability trends. The high-resolution GHM World-Wide Resources Assessment (W3RA) model forced by the Multi-Source Weighted Ensemble Precipitation (MSWEP) is most consistent in providing the best performance at almost all basin scales, with higher-resolution models generally outperforming lower-resolution counterparts. This is, however, not the case for all models. Results highlight the importance of basin scale in the representation of TWS by the models, as with decreasing basin area, we note a commensurate decrease in the model performance. A marked reduction in performance is found for basins smaller than 60 000 km2. Although uncertainties in the GRACE measurement increase for smaller catchments, the models are clearly challenged in representing the complex hydrological processes of this tropical basin, as well as human influences. We conclude that GRACE provides a valuable dataset to benchmark global simulations of TWS change, in particular for those models with explicit representation of the internal dynamics of hydrological stocks, offering useful information for continued model improvement in the representation of the hydrological dynamics in tropical basins.

Birdseye’s Frosted Possession: Processing, Storing, and Transmitting the Gift of Inuit Thermocultural Knowledge,

On August 12, 1930, Clarence Birdseye patented his “Method of Preparing Food Products,” a “quick” freezing machine that “for the first time produced ... a compacted, quick frozen block of comestibles ... which can be stored ... transported ... and ... after being thawed, reassumes its original condition.” Birdseye’s innovation in the frozen food industry is typically historicized as a progress narrative, wherein the lone inventor masters the molecular forces of water, salts, metal, cardboard, flesh, and plant matter. This teleology is further contextualized within an exploration account, wherein Birdseye’s curiosity is piqued during his years as a fur trader who observes the Labrador Inuit practice of quick-freezing fish. In this article, I use Goenpul scholar Aileen Moreton-Robinson’s concept of “white possessive logics” to interrogate how Birdseye’s racialized assumption of ownership dislocated Inuit epistemologies into industrial metanarratives. To trace the possession, but also the survivance, of Labrador Inuit thermoculture, I reconsider frozen food as a communication system, characterized by dynamics of processing, storage, and transmission. Within this system, food is thinkable as data—information and gift—and frozen food is understandable as an Inuit gift of knowledge and sustenance provided to, and unreciprocated by, Birdseye. Comparatively reading Birdseye’s papers and patents with ethnographical and autobiographical Labrador Inuit and Inuit-Metis narratives, I rethink the historic event of knowledge-sharing that gave Birdseye his thermocultural inspiration. Furthermore, I consider how Labrador Inuit communities reappropriate the mechanical freezer as a traditional technology, and I argue that the globalization of frozen food technology poses an ongoing challenge of reciprocity for Birdseye’s white possession.