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Organic carbon (OC) in permafrost interacts with the mineral fraction of soil and sediments, representing < 1% to ~80% of the total OC pool. Quantifying the nature and controls of mineral–OC interactions is therefore crucial for realistic assessments of permafrost‐carbon‐climate feedbacks, especially in ice‐rich regions facing rapid thaw and the development of thermo‐erosion landforms. Here, we analyzed sediment samples from the Batagay megaslump in East Siberia, and we present total element concentrations, mineralogy, and mineral–OC interactions in its different stratigraphic units. Our findings indicate that up to 34 ± 8% of the OC pool interacts with mineral surfaces or elements. Interglacial deposits exhibit enhanced OC–mineral interactions, where OC has undergone greater microbial transformation and has likely low degradability. We provide a first‐order estimate of ~12,000 tons of OC mobilized annually downslope of the headwall (i.e., the approximate mass of 30 large aircrafts), with a maximum of 38% interacting with OC via complexation with metals or associations to poorly crystalline iron oxides. These data imply that over one‐third of the OC exposed by the slump is not readily available for mineralization, potentially leading to prolonged OC residence time in soil and sediments under stable physicochemical conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Permafrost ecosystems are limited in nutrients for vegetation development and constrain the biological activity to the active layer. Upon Arctic warming, permafrost thaw exposes large amounts of soil organic carbon (SOC) to decomposition and minerals to weathering but also releases organic and mineral soil material that may directly influence the soil exchange properties (cation exchange capacity, CEC, and base saturation, BS). The soil exchange properties are key for nutrient base cation supply (Ca 2+ , K + , Mg 2+ , and Na +) for vegetation growth and development. In this study, we investigate the distributions of soil exchange properties within Arctic tundra permafrost soils at Eight Mile Lake (Interior Alaska, USA) because they will dictate the potential reservoir of newly thawed nutrients and thereby influence soil biological activity and vegetation nutrient sources. Our results highlight much lower CEC density in surface horizons (∼9400 cmol c m -3) than in the mineral horizons of the active layer (∼16000 cmol c m -3) or in permafrost soil horizons (∼12000 cmol c m -3). Together, with the overall increase in CEC density with depth and the overall increase in BS (percentage of CEC occupied by exchangeable base cations Ca 2+ , K + , Mg 2+ , and Na +) with depth (from ∼19% in organic surface horizons to 62 % in permafrost soil horizons), the total exchangeable base cation density (Ca 2+ , K + , Mg 2+ , and Na + in g m -3) is up to 5 times higher in the permafrost than in the active layer. More specifically, the exchangeable base cation density in the 20 cm upper part of permafrost about to thaw is ∼850 g m -3 for Ca exch , 45 g m -3 for K exch , 200 g m -3 for Mg exch , and 150 g m -3 for Na exch. This estimate is needed for future ecosystem prediction models to provide constraints on the size of the reservoir in exchangeable nutrients (Ca, K, Mg, and Na) about to thaw. All data described in this paper are stored in Dataverse, the online repository of Université catholique de Louvain, and are accessible through the following DOI: 10.14428/DVN/FQVMEP (Mauclet et al., 2022b). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Permafrost ecosystems are limited in nutrients for vegetation development and constrain the biological activity to the active layer. Upon Arctic warming, permafrost degradation exposes large amounts of soil organic carbon (SOC) to decomposition and minerals to weathering, but also releases organic and mineral soil material that may directly influence the soil exchange properties (cation exchange capacity and base saturation). The soil exchange properties are key for nutrient base cation supply (Ca2+, K+, Mg2+) for vegetation growth and development. In this study, we investigate the distribution of soil exchange properties within typical Arctic tundra permafrost soils at Eight Mile Lake (Interior Alaska, USA) because they will dictate the potential reservoir of newly thawed nutrients and thereby influence soil biological activity and vegetation nutrient sources. Our results highlight a difference in the SOC distribution within soil profiles according to the permafrost thaw. The poorly thawed permafrost soils (active layer thickness; ALT ≤ 60 cm) present more organic material in surface (i.e., organic layer thickness; OLT ≥ 40 cm) than the highly thawed permafrost soil (i.e., ALT > 60 cm and OLT < 40 cm). In turn, this difference in SOC distribution directly affects the soil exchange complex properties. However, the low bulk density of organic-rich soil layers leads to much lower CEC density in surface (~9 400 cmolc m-3) than in the mineral horizons of the active layer (~16 000 cmolc m-3) and in permafrost soil horizons (~12 000 cmolc m-3). As a result of the overall increase in CEC density with depth and the overall increase in base saturation with depth (from ~20 % in organic surface to 65 % in permafrost soil horizons), the average total stock in exchangeable base cations (Ca2+, K+, Mg2+ and Na+ in g m-3) is more than 2-times higher in the permafrost than in the active layer. More specifically, the stocks in base cations in the upper part of permafrost about to thaw in the following are ~ 860 g m-3 for Caexch, 45 g m-3 for Kexch, 200 g m-3 for Mgexch and 150 g m-3 for Naexch. This first order estimate is a needed step for future ecosystem prediction models to provide constraint on the size of the reservoir in exchangeable nutrients (Ca, K, Mg) about to thaw. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Arctic warming and permafrost degradation are modifying northern ecosystems through changes in microtopography, soil water dynamics, nutrient availability, and vegetation succession. Upon permafrost degradation, the release of deep stores of nutrients, such as nitrogen and phosphorus, from newly thawed permafrost stimulates Arctic vegetation production. More specifically, wetter lowlands show an increase in sedges (as part of graminoids), whereas drier uplands favor shrub expansion. These shifts in the composition of vegetation may influence local mineral element cycling through litter production. In this study, we evaluate the influence of permafrost degradation on mineral element foliar stocks and potential annual fluxes upon litterfall. We measured the foliar elemental composition (Al, Ca, Fe, K, Mn, P, S, Si, and Zn) of ∼ 500 samples of typical tundra plant species from two contrasting Alaskan tundra sites, i.e., an experimental sedge-dominated site (Carbon in Permafrost Experimental Heating Research, CiPEHR) and natural shrub-dominated site (Gradient). The foliar concentration of these mineral elements was species specific, with sedge leaves having relatively high Si concentration and shrub leaves having relatively high Ca and Mn concentrations. Therefore, changes in the species biomass composition of the Arctic tundra in response to permafrost thaw are expected to be the main factors that dictate changes in elemental composition of foliar stocks and maximum potential foliar fluxes upon litterfall. We observed an increase in the mineral element foliar stocks and potential annual litterfall fluxes, with Si increasing with sedge expansion in wetter sites (CiPEHR), and Ca and Mn increasing with shrub expansion in drier sites (Gradient). Consequently, we expect that sedge and shrub expansion upon permafrost thaw will lead to changes in litter elemental composition and therefore affect nutrient cycling across the sub-Arctic tundra with potential implications for further vegetation succession. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mineral elements bind to dissolved organic carbon (DOC) in permafrost soils, and this may contribute to the stabilization or the degradation of organic carbon along the soil to river continuum. Permafrost thaw enlarges the pool of soil constituents available for soil to river transfer. The unknown is how changes in hydrology upon permafrost degradation affect the connection between soil‐derived mineral element‐bound DOC and headwater streams. Here, we study Al, Fe, Ca, and DOC concentrations in water from a headwater stream at Eight Mile Lake, Alaska, USA (colloidal [0.22 μm–1 kDa] and truly dissolved [<1 kDa] fractions) and in soil pore waters sampled across a gradient of permafrost degradation at the same location. We target the peak flow to base flow transition to show that there is a narrow window of mineral element‐bound DOC colloid transport from soils to streams. We show that during spring thaw and maximum thaw there is an enhanced lateral transfer of mineral element‐bound DOC colloids in extensively degraded sites compared to minimally degraded sites. This is explained by a more rapid response of hydrology at peak flow to base flow transition at degraded sites. Our results suggest that ongoing permafrost degradation and the associated response of soils to changing hydrology can be detected by targeting the composition and size of mineral element‐DOC associations in soil waters and headwater streams during peak flow‐baseflow transitions. Key Points: Headwater streams capture mineral element‐bound dissolved organic carbon (DOC) colloids from permafrost soils during peak flow events (snowmelt and rain)The supply of mineral element‐bound DOC colloids from soils to river is amplified at sites of extensive permafrost degradationPre‐snowmelt soil thaw and more rapid drainage during summer are hydrological changes favoring colloid transport from soil to river [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Arctic warming and permafrost degradation are modifying northern ecosystems through changes in microtopography, soil water dynamics, nutrient availability, and vegetation succession. Upon permafrost degradation, the release of deep stores of nutrients such as nitrogen and phosphorus from newly thawed permafrost stimulates Arctic vegetation production. More specifically, wetter lowlands show an increase in sedges (as part of graminoids), whereas drier uplands favor shrub expansion. In turn, shifts in the composition of vegetation may influence local mineral element cycling through litter production. In this study, we evaluate the influence of permafrost degradation on mineral element foliar stocks and potential annual fluxes upon litterfall. We measured the foliar elemental composition (Al, Ca, Fe, K, Mn, P, S, Si, and Zn) on ~500 samples of typical tundra vegetation species from two contrasting Alaskan sites, i.e., under experimental (CiPEHR) and ambient (Gradient) warming. The foliar concentration of these mineral elements was species specific, with sedge leaves having relatively high Si concentration, and shrub leaves having relatively high Ca and Mn concentrations. Therefore, changes in the species biomass composition of the Arctic tundra in response to permafrost thaw are expected to be the main factors that dictate changes in elemental composition of foliar stocks and maximum potential foliar fluxes upon litterfall. We observed an increase in the mineral element foliar stocks and potential annual litterfall fluxes, with Si increasing with sedge expansion in wetter sites (CiPEHR), and Ca and Mn increasing with shrub expansion in drier sites (Gradient). Consequently, we expect that sedge and shrub expansion upon permafrost thaw will lead to changes in litter elemental composition, and affect nutrient cycling across the sub-Arctic tundra, with potential implications for further vegetation succession. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With permafrost thaw, significant amounts of organic carbon (OC) previously stored in frozen deposits are unlocked and become potentially available for microbial mineralization. This is particularly the case in ice-rich regions such as the Yedoma domain. Excess ground ice degradation exposes deep sediments and their OC stocks, but also mineral elements, to biogeochemical processes. Interactions of mineral elements and OC play a crucial role for OC stabilization and the fate of OC upon thaw, and thus regulate carbon dioxide and methane emissions. In addition, some mineral elements are limiting nutrients for plant growth or microbial metabolic activity. A large ongoing effort is to quantify OC stocks and their lability in permafrost regions, but the influence of mineral elements on the fate of OC or on biogeochemical nutrient cycles has received less attention. The reason is that there is a gap of knowledge on the mineral element content in permafrost regions. Here, we use a portable X-ray fluorescence device (pXRF) to provide (i) the first large-scale Yedoma domain Mineral Concentrations Assessment (YMCA) dataset (https://doi.pangaea.de/10.1594/PANGAEA.922724; Monhonval et al., in review), and (ii) estimates of mineral element stocks in never thawed (since deposition) ice-rich Yedoma permafrost and previously thawed and partly refrozen Alas deposits. The pXRF method for mineral element quantification is non-destructive and offers a complement to the classical dissolution and measurement by optical emission spectrometry (ICP-OES) in solution. This allowed a mineral element concentration (Si, Al, Fe, Ca, K, Ti, Mn, Zn, Sr and Zr) assessment on 1292 sediment samples from the Yedoma domain with lower analytical effort and affordable costs relative to the classical ICP-OES method. pXRF measured concentrations were calibrated using standard alkaline fusion and ICP-OES measurements on a subset of 144 samples (R² from 0.725 to 0.996). The results highlight that (i) the most abundant mineral element in the Yedoma domain is Si (2739 ± 986 Gt) followed by Al, Fe, K, Ca, Ti, Mn, Zr, Sr, and Zn, and that (ii) Al and Fe (598 ± 213 and 288 ± 104 Gt) are present in the same order of magnitude than OC (327-466 Gt). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • Between 6 and 59% of total organic carbon is mineral-bound in tundra soils. • Organo-metallic complexes involving Fe accumulate at the water table level. • Higher proportion of total OC mineral-bound in permafrost than in active layer. Mineral organic carbon interactions (aggregation, organo-mineral associations and organo-metallic complexes) enhance the protection of organic carbon (OC) from microbial degradation in soils. The northern circumpolar permafrost region stores between 1,440 and 1,600 Pg OC of which a significant portion is already thawed or about to thaw in coming years. In the light of this tipping point for climate change, any mechanism that can promote OC stabilization and hence mitigate OC mineralization and greenhouse gas emissions is of crucial interest. Here, we study interactions between metals (Fe, Al, Mn and Ca) and OC in the moist acidic tundra ecosystem of Eight Mile Lake, near Healy, AK, USA. We collected thirteen cores (124 soil samples) in late summer 2019 with shallow and deep active layers (45 to 109 cm deep) and varying water table depths. We find that between 6% and 59% of total OC in Eight Mile Lake tundra soils is mineral-associated (mean 20%), in organo-mineral associations (association between poorly crystalline oxides and OC) and in organo-metallic complexes (associations between Fe, Mn, Al, Ca polyvalent cations and organic acids). We find that total Fe and Mn concentrations can be used as good proxies to assess the reactive pool of these metals able to form associations with OC, i.e., poorly crystalline oxides or metals complexed with OC. We observe that in the active layer, mineral OC interactions are mostly as organo-metallic complexes with Fe cations, with an accumulation at the water table level acting as a soil redox interface. In waterlogged soils with a water table level above surface, no such accumulation of OC-Fe complexes is found due to the absence of a redox interface below soil surface. In the permafrost layer, we find that a combination of complexed metals and poorly crystalline Fe oxides act as reactive phases towards OC. Knowing that upon permafrost thaw tundra soils will become wetter or drier, the assessment of mineral-bound OC in drier or wetter tundra soils is a needed step to better constrain the changes in the proportion of non-protected OC more likely to contribute to C emissions from tundra soils. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Up to 1/3 of the TOC is stabilized by mineral interactions in debris from thaw slumps. • Fe-OC complexation is the main stabilization mechanism of OC-mineral interactions. • Headwall-origin Fe-OC complexes are preserved in sediments mobilized by slumping. In northern high latitudes, rapid warming is set to amplify carbon-climate feedbacks by enhancing permafrost thaw and biogeochemical transformation of large amounts of soil organic carbon. However, between 30 % and 80 % of permafrost soil organic carbon is considered to be stabilized by geochemical interactions with the soil mineral pool and thus less susceptible to be emitted as greenhouse gases. Quantification of the nature of and controls on mineral-organic carbon interactions is needed to better constrain permafrost-carbon-climate feedbacks, particularly in ice-rich environments resulting in rapid thaw and development of thermokarst landforms. On sloping terrain, mass wasting features called retrogressive thaw slumps are amongst the most dynamic forms of thermokarst. These multi-decadal disturbances grow due to ablation of an ice-rich headwall, and their enlargement due to warming of the Arctic is mobilizing vast stores of previously frozen materials. Here, we investigate headwall profiles of seven retrogressive thaw slumps and sediments displaced from these mass wasting features from the Peel Plateau, western Canadian Arctic. The disturbances varied in their headwall height (2 to 25 m) and affected land surface area (<1 to > 30 ha). We present total and water extractable mineral element concentrations, mineralogy, and mineral-organic carbon interactions in the headwall layers (active layer, permafrost materials above an early Holocene thaw unconformity, and Pleistocene-aged permafrost tills) and in displaced material (suspended sediments in runoff and material accumulated on the debris tongue). Our data show that the main mechanism of organic carbon stabilization through mineral-organic carbon interactions within the headwall is the complexation with metals (mainly iron), which stabilizes 30 ± 15 % of the total organic carbon pool with higher concentrations in near-surface layers compared to deep permafrost. In the displaced material, this proportion drops to 18 ± 5 %. In addition, we estimate that up to 12 ± 5 % of the total organic carbon is stabilized by associations to poorly crystalline iron oxides, with no significant difference between near-surface layers, deep permafrost and displaced material. Our findings suggest that the organic carbon interacting with the sediment mineral pool in slump headwalls is preserved in the material mobilized by slumping and displaced as debris. Overall, up to 32 ± 6 % of the total organic carbon displaced by retrogressive thaw slumps is stabilized by organo-mineral interactions in this region. This indicates that organo-mineral interactions play a significant role in the preservation of organic carbon in the material displaced from retrogressive thaw slumps over years to decades after their development resulting in decadal to centennial scale sequestration of this retrogressive thaw slump-mobilized organic carbon interacting with the soil mineral pool. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Sr isotopes are used to trace plant sources in base cations on tundra soils. • Foliar 87/86Sr ratio reflects deeper nutrient uptake in sedge than shrub species. • In all species, the foliar 87Sr/86Sr ratio is less radiogenic upon permafrost thaw. • Upon permafrost thaw, sedges and shrubs benefit from new source in base cations. Upon permafrost thaw, the volume of soil accessible to plant roots increases which modifies the acquisition of plant-available resources. Tundra vegetation is actively responding to the changing environment with two major directions for vegetation shift across the Arctic: the expansion of deep-rooted sedges and the widespread increase in shallow-rooted shrubs. Changes in vegetation composition, density and distribution have large implications on the Arctic warming and permafrost stability by influencing the albedo, the snow accumulation and the litter decomposition rate. A better understanding of these cumulated effects of changing vegetation on warming and permafrost requires assessing the changes in plant nutrient sources upon permafrost thaw, nutrient access being a limiting factor for the Arctic tundra vegetation development. In this study, we determined the influence of permafrost degradation on the base cation sources for plant uptake by using the radiogenic Sr isotope ratio as a tracer of source, along a permafrost thaw gradient at Eight Mile Lake in Interior Alaska (USA). As plants take up Sr from the exchangeable soil fraction with no measurable fractionation, we determined the differences in 87Sr/86Sr ratio of the exchangeable Sr between shallow and deeper soil horizons, and we compared the 87Sr/86Sr ratio of foliar samples for three Arctic tundra species with contrasted rooting depths (Betula nana, Vaccinium vitis-idaea , and Eriophorum vaginatum) upon different permafrost thaw conditions. The higher foliar 87Sr/86Sr ratios of shallow-rooted Arctic tundra shrubs (B. nana, V. vitis-idaea) was consistent with a shallow source of soil exchangeable Sr from surface soil horizons, whereas the lower foliar 87Sr/86Sr ratios of deep-rooted Arctic tundra sedges (E. vaginatum) reflected a source of Sr from deeper soil horizons. There is a shift between poorly and highly thawed soil profiles towards lower foliar 87Sr/86Sr ratios in both deep- and shallow-rooted plant species. This shift supports that micro-landscape variability in the exchangeable base cation reserve with soil depth represents a key source of readily available nutrients for both shallow- and deep-rooted plant species upon permafrost thaw. This study highlights a key change in plant nutrient source to consider upon thaw. This finding lies beyond the common view that nutrient release at the permafrost thaw front preferentially benefits deep-rooted plant species. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • Permafrost degradation modifies foliar mineral element fluxes with shrubification. • Shrubification induces lower Si, K, Zn, Mo foliar flux and topsoil concentration. • Shrubification doesn't alter Ca, P, Mn, Cu, V foliar flux and topsoil concentration. • Intensifying shrubification is expected to increase foliar Ca, P, Mn, Cu, V flux. • Intensifying shrubification is expected to stabilize foliar Si, K, Zn, Mo flux. Climate change affects the Arctic and sub-Arctic regions by exposing previously frozen permafrost to thaw, unlocking soil nutrients, changing hydrological processes, and boosting plant growth. As a result, sub-Arctic tundra is subject to a shrub expansion, called "shrubification", at the expense of sedge species. Depending on the intrinsic foliar properties of these plant species, changes in foliar mineral element fluxes with shrubification in the context of permafrost degradation may influence topsoil mineral element composition. Despite the potential implications of changes in topsoil mineral element concentrations for the fate of organic carbon, this remains poorly quantified. Here, we investigate vegetation foliar and topsoil mineral element composition (Si, K, Ca, P, Mn, Zn, Cu, Mo, V) across a natural gradient of permafrost degradation at a typical sub-Arctic tundra at Eight Mile Lake (Alaska, USA). Results show that foliar mineral element concentrations are higher (up to 9 times; Si, K, Mo for all species, and for some species Zn) or lower (up to 2 times; Ca, P, Mn, Cu, V for all species, and for some species Zn) in sedge than in shrub species. As a result, a vegetation shift over ∼40 years has resulted in lower topsoil concentrations in Si, K, Zn, and Mo (respectively of 52, 24, 20, and 51%) in highly degraded permafrost sites compared to poorly degraded permafrost sites due to lower foliar fluxes of these elements. For other elements (Ca, P, Mn, Cu, and V), the vegetation shift has not induced a marked change in topsoil concentrations at this current stage of permafrost degradation. A modeled amplified shrubification associated with a further permafrost degradation is expected to increase foliar Ca, P, Mn, Cu, and V fluxes, which will likely change these element concentrations in topsoil. These data can serve as a first estimate to assess the influence of other shifts in vegetation in Arctic and sub-Arctic tundra such as sedge expansion under wetter soil conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]