Højdepunkter 2016 Højdepunkterne i 2016 inkluderer intenst feltarbejde til lands og til vands, kombineret med detaljerede laboratorieeksperimenter ved CENPERM i København. Følgende fire artikler fra 2016 understreger fordelene og styrken ved at arbejde multidisciplinært. 1. Koncentrationen af metan (CH4) i atmosfæren afhænger af balancen mellem metans kilder og dræn. Optaget af metan i Arktis afhænger af den mikrobielle oxidation i jorden. Det debatteres, hvordan klimaforandringer vil påvirke disse systemers evne til at fungere som nettokilde eller nettodræn af CH4. DImperio et al. (2016) skrev i Global Change Biology om metanoxidation i forskellige jordbundstyper på Diskoøen (Vestgrønland), med fokus på forskellige jordog landskabstypers respons på eksperimentel opvarmning. Metanoxidationsraterne fra bar jord og tør hede var overraskende høje. Ved opskalering til hele landskabet viste det sig, at optaget af metan i tørre dele af landskabet langt overstiger metanfrigivelsen fra vådområder. På landskabsniveau var der et nettooptag af metan på mere end 80 kg CH4 -C per km2 i vækstsæsonen, hvilket kan øges med 20 % ved et par graders opvarmning opnået i felten ved brug af åbne kamre. Konklusionen er, at bar jord og tørre tundraøkosystemer bør medtages i netto-CH4 -budgettet for Arktis ikke mindst i betragtning af de fremtidige klimascenarier for Arktis. 2. Flygtige organiske stoffer (BVOCs) er reaktive gasser, der kan bidrage til dannelsen af aerosoler i atmosfæren. Frigivelsen af BVOCs fra vegetation afhænger af temperatur og lys. Stigende temperaturer, ændret skydække og ændret sammensætning af vegetationen forventes at påvirke frigivelsen i Arktis, hvor de igangværende klimaforandringer er særligt udtalte. Baseret på dataindsamlinger nær Nuuk i Vestgrønland skrev 8 CENPERM Annual Report 2016 Kramshøj et al. (2016) i Nature Geoscience om effekterne af opvarmning eller mindsket sollys efter seks års eksperimentel behandling i felten i et blokforsøg. Frigivelsen af BVOCs fra planteskud, fra jorden og fra hele økosystemet blev vurderet separat gennem fire målinger dækkende hele vækstsæsonen. Data viser, at opvarmning øger frigivelsen direkte og ikke via ændringer i plantebiomasse og artssammensætning. Opvarmning øgede frigivelsesraten med 260 % for hele økosystemet og med 90 % for planterne, men havde ingen effekt på frigivelsen fra jorden. I forhold til kontrolfelterne sænkede det mindskede sollys frigivelsen med 69 % for hele økosystemet, med 61-65 % for planterne og med 78 % for jorden. Den målte markante emissionsrespons er betydeligt højere, end hvad der er målt ved sydligere breddegrader, hvilket understreger den høje temperaturfølsomhed i økosystemprocesserne i et Arktis under forandring. 3. Glacialt smeltevand sender store mængder af sediment og potentielt biotilgængelige former af jern, kvælstof og kulstof ud i det kystnære Arktiske Ocean. Den partikulære fraktion af denne tilførsel er signifikant, men man har tidligere regnet med, at tab i det estuarine miljø begrænsede forsyningen af jern fra landsiden. I Nature Scientific Reports dokumenterede Markussen et al. (2016), hvordan flokkulering (aggregering af partikler) med labilt jern måske øger den horisontale transport i stedet for at øge depositionen tæt ved kilden. Dette bliver vist ved at kombinere feltobservationer i Disko-fjorden, Vestgrønland, med laboratorieundersøgelser. Data viser, hvordan labilt jern påvirker flokstørrelser, -former og -densiteter og derfor skaber lave udfældningshastigheder og forlængede sedimentfaner. Studiet understreger vigtigheden af at forstå flokkuleringsmekanismerne, når flukse af smeltevandstransporteret ANNUAL REPORT 2016 CENPERM Center for Permafrost Field sites Brønlundhus Svalbard Longyearbyen Greenland Zackenberg Disko Qajaa Sweden Kangerlussuaq Nuuk Narsarsuaq Abisko Sermilik Directors welcome The vision of Center for Permafrost Highlights 2016 Højdepunk ter 2016 Plant root dynamics in a wetland tundra Publications & conferences Communication & outreach Educational activities Ongoing research projects & graduate students International collaborators & funding CENPERM staf Photo: Bo Elberling 2 CENPERM Annual Report 2016 Directors welcome The year 2016 has been an evaluation year, which means that we have been through a midterm evaluation of the Center for Permafrost (CENPERM) and have prepared a revised research plan for 2018-2022. The Danish National Research Foundation has invited us to initiate contract negotiat The vision of Center for Permafrost Microbial activity Plant ecology CENPERM Permafrost soil & landscape dynamics CENPERM integrates multidisciplinary research of biogeochemical and physical processes in a climate-vegetation-soil-microorganismpermafrost approach in transects across the major cli Photo: Kent Pørksen CENPERM Annual Report 2016 5 Highlights 2016 Highlights of 2016 include intensive fieldwork on land and sea, as well as detailed laboratory experiments at CENPERM in Copenhagen. The following four papers published in 2016 highlight the benefits of taking a multidisciplinary approach to the work. 1. The concentration of methane ing the flocculation mechanisms when examining fluxes of meltwater transported iron in polar regions today and in the future, and underlines the influence of terrestrial hotspots on the nutrient and solute cycles in Arctic coastal waters. 4. Generating meaningful greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions targe Højdepunkter 2016 Højdepunkterne i 2016 inkluderer intenst feltarbejde til lands og til vands, kombineret med detaljerede laboratorieeksperimenter ved CENPERM i København. Følgende fire artikler fra 2016 understreger fordelene og styrken ved at arbejde multidisciplinært. 1. Koncentrationen af metan jern i polare egne studeres i dag og i fremtiden, og fremhæver betydningen af terrestriske hotspots i forhold til kredsløbene af næringsstoffer og opløste stoffer i de kystnære arktiske farvande. 4. Udpegningen af meningsfulde mål for udledningen af drivhusgasser (GHG) kræver forståelse af dynamikke Plant root dynamics in a wetland tundra by Ludovica DImperio, postdoc, CENPERM, University of Copenhagen Tundra plants have developed unique characteristics in order to endure extreme environmental conditions including low air temperatures, a short growing season, and limited nutrient availability. (mini-rhizotrones) down to a soil depth of about 60 cm. These tubes were placed in plots where summer air temperatures and winter snow precipitation were experimentally increased. By taking repeated pictures at the same location, we can collect information on root parameters such as length, surface Publications & conferences Blok, D., Elberling, B., Michelsen, A. (2016). Initial stages of tundra shrub litter decomposition may be accelerated by deeper winter snow but slowed down by spring warming. Ecosystems 19, 155-169. Cameron, K.A., Stibal, M., Zarsky, J.D., Gözdereliler, E., Schostag, M., J Lindwall, F., Schollert, M., Michelsen, A., Blok, D., Rinnan, R. (2016). Fourfold higher tundra volatile emissions due to arctic summer warming. Journal of Geophysical Research: Biogeosciences 121, 895-902. Lindwall, F., Svendsen, S.S., Nielsen, C.S., Michelsen, A., Rinnan, R. (2016). Warming increa Rousk, K., Sorensen P.L., Michelsen, A. (2016). Nitrogen transfer from four nitrogen-fixer associations to plants and soils. Ecosystems 19, 1491-1504. Semenchuk, P.R., Christiansen, C.T., Grogan, P., Morgner, E., Elberling, B., Cooper, E.J. (2016). Long-term experimentally deepened snow decreases gr Book chapters Elberling, B. (2016). Le pergélisol face au changement climatique. In: Le Groenland. Climat, écologie, société. CNRS Editions, 77-82. Hasholt, B. (2016). Sediment and solute transport from Greenland. In: Beylich, A.A., Dixon, J.C., Zwolinski, Z. (ed.) Source-to-sink fluxes in undisturb Zhou, Y., Zhang, W., Rinne, J. (2016). Temperature dependency of the correlation between secondary organic aerosol and monoterpenes concentrations at a boreal forest site in Finland. Fall Meeting, American Geophysical Union (AGU), San Francisco, USA, Dec. 12-16. Presentations at conferences, sympos Zhang, W. (2016). Modeling the impacts of permafrost thawing on long term greenhouse gas exchange in Northeast Greenland. Workshop on CoupModel, Use and Calibration, Seminar day in Uppsala, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, May 16-17. Zhang, W. (2016). Modeling the process-basedcontrols Communication & outreach April 2016 the book The ice-free Greenland - from molecules to landscape was published. The book is a tale of the ice-free landscape with a focus on how the bio- and geosciences in recent years have provided new, fascinating and surprising knowledge based on the first 100 pu Priemé, A. Permafrost in a changing world. Lecture for high school classes (Roskilde Gymnasium and French high school), May 12. Priemé, A. Permafrost i en varmere verden. Lecture for high school class, KVUC, Oct. 14, Roskilde Gymnasium, Nov. 28. Please see the additional links on our website: www.ce May 12. Jarmo Holopainen, Department of Environmental and Biological Sciences, University of Eastern Finland: Do insect outbreaks on mountain birch affect capacity of subarctic vegetation to form secondary organic aerosols. May 12. Sebastian Zastruzny, M.Sc. student, CENPERM/IGN: Permafrost distribu Guests Throughout 2016, CENPERM has had the pleasure of welcoming a number of visiting experts at the Center. These guests contributed significant scientific insights to the continued research efforts at the Center for Permafrost. Carly Phillips, University of Georgia, US. Research collaboration, co Educational activities CENPERMs activities in 2016 include a number of educational efforts. These include both arctic field courses and classic university courses at the basic and advanced levels at the University of Copenhagen. In addition to course taught, a number of M.Sc. theses have been superv Teaching at the M.Sc. level Advanced bacteriology 2, Dept. of Biology, University of Copenhagen, autumn, A. Priemé. Arctic biology, Dept. of Biology, University of Copenhagen, spring, R. Rinnan, A. Michelsen, A. Priemé. Climate change and biogeochemical cycles. Dept. of Biology, University of Copenh Ongoing research projects & graduate students In 2016 we continued the now nearly-a-tradition of a WriteCamp for the PhD students in November outside Copenhagen. Like the previous years a special Master theses workshop was held in March with discussion and presentations of projects in progress. A nu Jammet, Mathilde M.: Comparative studies of methane dynamics in permafrost environments. Defended Dec. 2016. Supervisor: Thomas Friborg. Lindwall, Frida: Emission of Biogenic Volatile Organic Compounds in the Arctic: The Effect of Climate Change, Defended May 2016. Supervisor: Riikka Rinnan. Markuss Fenger-Nielsen, Rasmus: Predicting and mapping environmental threats to archaeological sites in Greenland under current and future climate conditions. Supervisors: Bo Elberling, Jørgen Hollesen and Aart Kroon. Karami, Mojtaba: Upscaling and modelling ecosystems in permafrozen soil environments. Supe Permin, Aya: Moss responses to climate change in the Subarctic. Supervisor: Anders Michelsen. Simonsen, Anne Mette Tholstrup: Metal speciation and bioavailability of heavy metals from mine tailings deposited in Bøkfjorden, Norway. Supervisor: Bo Elberling Simonsen, Lisbeth: Microbial succession and Rasmussen, Laura Helene: Thermal properties for simulating consequences of changes in thermal regime of deep permafrost layers in Greenland, completed, Jun. 2016. Supervisor: Bo Elberling. Riis, Michelle Cruz: Methane uptake and a landscape integrated methane budget at Disko (West Greenland), comple Svendsen, Sophie Sylvest: The effect of temperature on isoprene emissions from a wet ecosystem in Greenland, completed Jan. 2016. Supervisors: Riikka Rinnan, Frida Lindwall and Ole John Nielsen. Wulff, Katrine: Plant controlled methane production and emissions from a wetland at Disko, W. Greenland, International collaborators & funding Research activities at CENPERM are linked to a number of well-established international arctic networks. These cooperation agreements are supplemented by a strong affiliation to internationally recognized researchers. External experts and Center evaluation CENP International research partners and co-operators Adam Mickiewicz University, Poznan, Poland: Agata Buchwal. Alfred Wegener institute, Germany: Heidrun Matthes, Annette Rinke, Akperov Mirseid. Regional extreme, Arctic Cyclone. Agriculture and Agri-Food, Ottawa, Canada, Shared fieldwork, North Greenla University of Edinburgh, School of GeoSciences, UK: Isla Myers-Smith, Sandra Angers-Blondin; pan-arctic shrub growth meta-analysis. University of Helsinki, Department of Forest Sciences, Finland. Kristiina Karhu. Climate impacts, soil geochem. University of Lund, Sweden. Ben Smith, Paul Miller, Mart Danish Council for Independent Research, Natural Sciences, FNU: Nitrogen fixation as a key function in contrasting ecosystems: Grant holder: Anders Michelsen. Period: 2016-2019. DKK 2,416,251. Danish Energy Agency (Energistyrelsen): DiskoBasis Ecosystem monitoring, partly funding salary for one sci CENPERM staff Researchers Albers Christian Nyrop Researcher Ambus Per Professor Andersen Thorbjørn J. Professor Elberling Bo Professor, Director Ernstsen Verner Brandbyge Associate professor Friborg Thomas Associate professor Hansen Birger Ulf Associate professor Hollesen Jørgen Seni CENPERM staff McConnell Alistair PhD student Nielsen Cecilie Skov PhD student Ravn Nynne R. PhD student Schostag Morten Dencker PhD student Svendsen Sarah H. PhD student Technical staff Jacobsen Pia Laboratory technician Madsen Mathias Electronics technician Moser Vagn Laboratory techni ANNUAL REPORT 2016 The Danish National Research Foundation (DNRF) is an independent organization established by the Danish Parliament in 1991 with the objective to promote and stimulate basic research at the highest international level at the frontiers of all scientific fields. The Center of Excell