Geochemical, sedimentological and microbial diversity in two thermokarst lakes of far Eastern Siberia

O.H. Meisel; R. Rijkers; J.F. Dean; M.H. in ‘t Zandt; J. van Huissteden; T.C. Maximov; S.V. Karsanaev; L. Belelli Marchesini; A. Goovaerts; L. Wacker; G.-J. Reichart; S. Bouillon; C.U. Welte; M.S.M. Jetten; J.E. Vonk; H. Dolman

doi:10.1007/s10533-023-01076-1

Geochemical, sedimentological and microbial diversity in two thermokarst lakes of far Eastern Siberia

O.H. Meisel, R. Rijkers, J.F. Dean, M.H. in ‘t Zandt, J. van Huissteden, T.C. Maximov, S.V. Karsanaev, L. Belelli Marchesini, A. Goovaerts, L. Wacker, G.-J. Reichart, S. Bouillon, C.U. Welte, M.S.M. Jetten, J.E. Vonk, H. Dolman

Royal Netherlands Institute for Sea Research - NIOZ

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › Academic › peer-review

Abstract

Thermokarst lakes are important conduits for organic carbon sequestration, soil organic matter (soil-OM) decomposition and release of atmospheric greenhouse gases in the Arctic. They can be classified as either floating-ice lakes, which sustain a zone of unfrozen sediment (talik) at the lakebed year-round, or as bedfast-ice lakes, which freeze all the way to the lakebed in winter. Another key characteristic of thermokarst lakes are their eroding shorelines, depending on the surrounding landscape, they can play a major role in supplying the lakebeds with sediment and OM. These differences in winter ice regime and eroding shorelines are key factors which determine the quantity and quality of OM in thermokarst lake sediments. We used an array of physical, geochemical, and microbiological tools to identify the differences in the environmental conditions, sedimentary characteristics, carbon stocks and microbial community compositions in the sediments of a bedfast-ice and a floating-ice lake in Far East Siberia with different eroding shorelines. Our data show strong differences across most of the measured parameters between the two lakes. For example, the floating-ice lake contains considerably lower amounts of sediment organic matter and dissolved organic carbon, both of which also appear to be more degraded in comparison to the bedfast-ice lake, based on their stable carbon isotope composition (δ13C). We also document clear differences in the microbial community composition, for both archaea and bacteria. We identified the lake water depth (bedfast-ice vs. floating-ice) and shoreline erosion to be the two most likely main drivers of the sedimentary, microbial and biogeochemical diversity in thermokarst lakes. With ongoing climate warming, it is likely that an increasing number of lakes will shift from a bedfast- to a floating-ice state, and that increasing levels of shoreline erosion will supply the lakes with sediments. Yet, still little is known about the physical, biogeochemical and microbial differences in the sediments of these lake types and how different eroding shorelines impact these lake systems.

Original language	English
Pages (from-to)	239-263
Number of pages	25
Journal	Biogeochemistry
Volume	165
Issue number	3
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1007/s10533-023-01076-1
Publication status	Published - Sept 2023

Bibliographical note

Export Date: 24 November 2023

Publisher Copyright:
© 2023, The Author(s).

Funding

This work was carried out under the program of the Netherlands Earth Science System Centre (NESSC), which was funded by the Dutch Ministry of Education, Culture and Science (OCW) (Grant No. 024.002.001). The authors also thankfully acknowledge the SIAM Gravitation Grant 024.002.002 and the Netherlands Polar Programme (NWO project id 866.16.042). Special thanks are due for the local field support in Siberia to Roman Petrov and Dr. Alexander Kononov from the Institute for Biological Problems of the Cryolithozone, Siberian Branch Russian Academy of Sciences, Yakutsk, Russian Federation and Tatyana Strioekova and her team from the Fisheries and Nature Inspection in Chokurdakh. We want to express our sincere thanks to Richard van Logtestijn from the Systems Ecology department and Suzanne Verdegaal from the Stable Isotope Laboratory both at the Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam for the δC analyses on the solid samples. The XRF-scanning and core splitting were supported by Rineke Gieles, Piet van Gaever and Riek Hennekamp at the NIOZ Institute. The grainsize and TGA analyses were supported by Unze van Buren and Martine Hagen from the Sediment Laboratory of the Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam. The DOC analyses were kindly supported by Cedric Morana from the KU Leuven, Belgium. Special thanks for the cargo shipment support go to Natalia Sidorenko from STS Logistics Benelux. Thanks are also due to Maria Scheel for her support with the microbial interpretations and the NMDS. The authors also thank the two anonymous reviewers and the editor Brian Branfireun for their improvements of the manuscript. 13 Special thanks are due for the local field support in Siberia to Roman Petrov and Dr. Alexander Kononov from the Institute for Biological Problems of the Cryolithozone, Siberian Branch Russian Academy of Sciences, Yakutsk, Russian Federation and Tatyana Strioekova and her team from the Fisheries and Nature Inspection in Chokurdakh. We want to express our sincere thanks to Richard van Logtestijn from the Systems Ecology department and Suzanne Verdegaal from the Stable Isotope Laboratory both at the Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam for the δ13C analyses on the solid samples. The XRF-scanning and core splitting were supported by Rineke Gieles, Piet van Gaever and Riek Hennekamp at the NIOZ Institute. The grainsize and TGA analyses were supported by Unze van Buren and Martine Hagen from the Sediment Laboratory of the Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam. The DOC analyses were kindly supported by Cedric Morana from the KU Leuven, Belgium. Special thanks for the cargo shipment support go to Natalia Sidorenko from STS Logistics Benelux. Thanks are also due to Maria Scheel for her support with the microbial interpretations and the NMDS. The authors also thank the two anonymous reviewers and the editor Brian Branfireun for their improvements of the manuscript.

Funders	Funder number
Fisheries and Nature Inspection in Chokurdakh
NIOZ Institute
NMDS
Netherlands Polar Programme
Siberian Branch, Russian Academy of Sciences
Ministerie van onderwijs, cultuur en wetenschap	024.002.001, 024.002.002
Nederlandse Organisatie voor Wetenschappelijk Onderzoek	866.16.042
KU Leuven
Netherlands Earth System Science Centre

Keywords

Thermokarst lakes
Far East Siberia
Arctic permafrost
Yedoma
SOC
Microbial diversity

UN SDGs

This output contributes to the following UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

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s10533-023-01076-1Final published version, 2.03 MBLicence: CC BY

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Meisel, O. H., Rijkers, R., Dean, J. F., in ‘t Zandt, M. H., van Huissteden, J., Maximov, T. C., Karsanaev, S. V., Belelli Marchesini, L., Goovaerts, A., Wacker, L., Reichart, G.-J., Bouillon, S., Welte, C. U., Jetten, M. S. M., Vonk, J. E., & Dolman, H. (2023). Geochemical, sedimentological and microbial diversity in two thermokarst lakes of far Eastern Siberia. Biogeochemistry, 165(3), 239-263. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10533-023-01076-1

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abstract = "Thermokarst lakes are important conduits for organic carbon sequestration, soil organic matter (soil-OM) decomposition and release of atmospheric greenhouse gases in the Arctic. They can be classified as either floating-ice lakes, which sustain a zone of unfrozen sediment (talik) at the lakebed year-round, or as bedfast-ice lakes, which freeze all the way to the lakebed in winter. Another key characteristic of thermokarst lakes are their eroding shorelines, depending on the surrounding landscape, they can play a major role in supplying the lakebeds with sediment and OM. These differences in winter ice regime and eroding shorelines are key factors which determine the quantity and quality of OM in thermokarst lake sediments. We used an array of physical, geochemical, and microbiological tools to identify the differences in the environmental conditions, sedimentary characteristics, carbon stocks and microbial community compositions in the sediments of a bedfast-ice and a floating-ice lake in Far East Siberia with different eroding shorelines. Our data show strong differences across most of the measured parameters between the two lakes. For example, the floating-ice lake contains considerably lower amounts of sediment organic matter and dissolved organic carbon, both of which also appear to be more degraded in comparison to the bedfast-ice lake, based on their stable carbon isotope composition (δ13C). We also document clear differences in the microbial community composition, for both archaea and bacteria. We identified the lake water depth (bedfast-ice vs. floating-ice) and shoreline erosion to be the two most likely main drivers of the sedimentary, microbial and biogeochemical diversity in thermokarst lakes. With ongoing climate warming, it is likely that an increasing number of lakes will shift from a bedfast- to a floating-ice state, and that increasing levels of shoreline erosion will supply the lakes with sediments. Yet, still little is known about the physical, biogeochemical and microbial differences in the sediments of these lake types and how different eroding shorelines impact these lake systems.",

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author = "O.H. Meisel and R. Rijkers and J.F. Dean and {in {\textquoteleft}t Zandt}, M.H. and {van Huissteden}, J. and T.C. Maximov and S.V. Karsanaev and {Belelli Marchesini}, L. and A. Goovaerts and L. Wacker and G.-J. Reichart and S. Bouillon and C.U. Welte and M.S.M. Jetten and J.E. Vonk and H. Dolman",

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Meisel, OH, Rijkers, R, Dean, JF, in ‘t Zandt, MH, van Huissteden, J, Maximov, TC, Karsanaev, SV, Belelli Marchesini, L, Goovaerts, A, Wacker, L, Reichart, G-J, Bouillon, S, Welte, CU, Jetten, MSM, Vonk, JE & Dolman, H 2023, 'Geochemical, sedimentological and microbial diversity in two thermokarst lakes of far Eastern Siberia', Biogeochemistry, vol. 165, no. 3, pp. 239-263. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10533-023-01076-1

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AU - Meisel, O.H.

AU - Rijkers, R.

AU - Dean, J.F.

AU - in ‘t Zandt, M.H.

AU - van Huissteden, J.

AU - Maximov, T.C.

AU - Karsanaev, S.V.

AU - Belelli Marchesini, L.

AU - Goovaerts, A.

AU - Wacker, L.

AU - Reichart, G.-J.

AU - Bouillon, S.

AU - Welte, C.U.

AU - Jetten, M.S.M.

AU - Vonk, J.E.

AU - Dolman, H.

PY - 2023/9

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N2 - Thermokarst lakes are important conduits for organic carbon sequestration, soil organic matter (soil-OM) decomposition and release of atmospheric greenhouse gases in the Arctic. They can be classified as either floating-ice lakes, which sustain a zone of unfrozen sediment (talik) at the lakebed year-round, or as bedfast-ice lakes, which freeze all the way to the lakebed in winter. Another key characteristic of thermokarst lakes are their eroding shorelines, depending on the surrounding landscape, they can play a major role in supplying the lakebeds with sediment and OM. These differences in winter ice regime and eroding shorelines are key factors which determine the quantity and quality of OM in thermokarst lake sediments. We used an array of physical, geochemical, and microbiological tools to identify the differences in the environmental conditions, sedimentary characteristics, carbon stocks and microbial community compositions in the sediments of a bedfast-ice and a floating-ice lake in Far East Siberia with different eroding shorelines. Our data show strong differences across most of the measured parameters between the two lakes. For example, the floating-ice lake contains considerably lower amounts of sediment organic matter and dissolved organic carbon, both of which also appear to be more degraded in comparison to the bedfast-ice lake, based on their stable carbon isotope composition (δ13C). We also document clear differences in the microbial community composition, for both archaea and bacteria. We identified the lake water depth (bedfast-ice vs. floating-ice) and shoreline erosion to be the two most likely main drivers of the sedimentary, microbial and biogeochemical diversity in thermokarst lakes. With ongoing climate warming, it is likely that an increasing number of lakes will shift from a bedfast- to a floating-ice state, and that increasing levels of shoreline erosion will supply the lakes with sediments. Yet, still little is known about the physical, biogeochemical and microbial differences in the sediments of these lake types and how different eroding shorelines impact these lake systems.

AB - Thermokarst lakes are important conduits for organic carbon sequestration, soil organic matter (soil-OM) decomposition and release of atmospheric greenhouse gases in the Arctic. They can be classified as either floating-ice lakes, which sustain a zone of unfrozen sediment (talik) at the lakebed year-round, or as bedfast-ice lakes, which freeze all the way to the lakebed in winter. Another key characteristic of thermokarst lakes are their eroding shorelines, depending on the surrounding landscape, they can play a major role in supplying the lakebeds with sediment and OM. These differences in winter ice regime and eroding shorelines are key factors which determine the quantity and quality of OM in thermokarst lake sediments. We used an array of physical, geochemical, and microbiological tools to identify the differences in the environmental conditions, sedimentary characteristics, carbon stocks and microbial community compositions in the sediments of a bedfast-ice and a floating-ice lake in Far East Siberia with different eroding shorelines. Our data show strong differences across most of the measured parameters between the two lakes. For example, the floating-ice lake contains considerably lower amounts of sediment organic matter and dissolved organic carbon, both of which also appear to be more degraded in comparison to the bedfast-ice lake, based on their stable carbon isotope composition (δ13C). We also document clear differences in the microbial community composition, for both archaea and bacteria. We identified the lake water depth (bedfast-ice vs. floating-ice) and shoreline erosion to be the two most likely main drivers of the sedimentary, microbial and biogeochemical diversity in thermokarst lakes. With ongoing climate warming, it is likely that an increasing number of lakes will shift from a bedfast- to a floating-ice state, and that increasing levels of shoreline erosion will supply the lakes with sediments. Yet, still little is known about the physical, biogeochemical and microbial differences in the sediments of these lake types and how different eroding shorelines impact these lake systems.

KW - Thermokarst lakes

KW - Far East Siberia

KW - Arctic permafrost

KW - Yedoma

KW - SOC

KW - Microbial diversity

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DO - 10.1007/s10533-023-01076-1

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SN - 0168-2563

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JO - Biogeochemistry

JF - Biogeochemistry

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ER -

Geochemical, sedimentological and microbial diversity in two thermokarst lakes of far Eastern Siberia

Abstract

Bibliographical note

Funding

Keywords

UN SDGs

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