Carbon cycling in permafrost
The Arctic is undergoing rapid warming and wetting and changes in snow pack height and cover duration (IPCC, 2013). Thawing permafrost, which triggers the microbial decomposition and emission of ancient carbon (C) to the atmosphere as CO2 or CH4, and the simultaneous greening of the Arctic are potentially the terrestrial climate feedback equivalent of reduced perennial sea ice over the Arctic Ocean. Today however, there remains great uncertainty concerning the magnitudes and seasonality of different sources (plant vs. microbial, modern vs. ancient C) and forms (CO2 vs. CH4) of C emissions from arctic tundra to the atmosphere.
My overall research is trying to provide new insights into permafrost geochemistry dynamics and to improve th quantification and predictions of changes in C pools and greenhouse gas fluxes from arctic ecosystems.
