Interactions between iron and carbon in permafrost thaw ponds.

Thawing permafrost forms "thaw ponds" that accumulate and transport organic carbon (OC), redox-active iron (Fe), and other elements. Although Fe has been shown to act as a control on the microbial degradation of OC in permafrost soils, the role of iron in carbon cycling in thaw ponds remains poorly understood. Here, we investigated Fe-OC interactions in thaw ponds in partially and fully thawed soils ("bog" and "fen" thaw ponds, respectively) in a permafrost peatland complex in Abisko, Sweden, using size separation (large particulate fraction (LPF), small particulate fraction (SPF), and dissolved fraction (DF)), acid extractions, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Fe K-edge X-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS), and Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy. The bulk total Fe (total suspended Fe) in the bogs ranged from 135 mg/L (mean = 13 mg/L) whereas the fens exhibited higher total Fe (1.5 to 212 mg/L, mean = 30 mg/L). The concentration of bulk total OC (TOC) in the bog thaw ponds ranged from 50 to 352 mg/L (mean = 170 mg/L), higher than the TOC concentration in the fen thaw ponds (8.5 to 268 mg/L, mean = 17 mg/L). The concentration of 1 M HCl-extractable Fe in the bog ponds was slightly lower than that in the fens (93 ± 1.2 and 137 ± 3.5 mg/L Fe, respectively) with Fe predominantly (>75 %) in the DF in both thaw stages. Fe K-edge XAS analysis showed that while Fe(II) was the predominant species in LPF, Fe(III) was more abundant in the DF, indicating that the stage of thawing and particle size may control Fe redox state. Furthermore, Fe(II) and Fe(III) were partially complexed with natural organic matter (NOM, 8 to 80 %) in both thaw ponds. Results of our work suggest that Fe and OC released during permafrost thaw into thaw ponds (re-)associate, potentially protecting OC from microbial decomposition while also stabilizing the redox state of Fe.

Seasonal Fluctuations in Iron Cycling in Thawing Permafrost Peatlands.

In permafrost peatlands, up to 20% of total organic carbon (OC) is bound to reactive iron (Fe) minerals in the active layer overlying intact permafrost, potentially protecting OC from microbial degradation and transformation into greenhouse gases (GHG) such as CO2 and CH4. During the summer, shifts in runoff and soil moisture influence redox conditions and therefore the balance of Fe oxidation and reduction. Whether reactive iron minerals could act as a stable sink for carbon or whether they are continuously dissolved and reprecipitated during redox shifts remains unknown. We deployed bags of synthetic ferrihydrite (FH)-coated sand in the active layer along a permafrost thaw gradient in Stordalen mire (Abisko, Sweden) over the summer (June to September) to capture changes in redox conditions and quantify the formation and dissolution of reactive Fe(III) (oxyhydr)oxides. We found that the bags accumulated Fe(III) under constant oxic conditions in areas overlying intact permafrost over the full summer season. In contrast, in fully thawed areas, conditions were continuously anoxic, and by late summer, 50.4 ± 12.8% of the original Fe(III) (oxyhydr)oxides were lost via dissolution. Periodic redox shifts (from 0 to +300 mV) were observed over the summer season in the partially thawed areas. This resulted in the dissolution and loss of 47.2 ± 20.3% of initial Fe(III) (oxyhydr)oxides when conditions are wetter and more reduced, and new formation of Fe(III) minerals (33.7 ± 8.6% gain in comparison to initial Fe) in the late summer under more dry and oxic conditions, which also led to the sequestration of Fe-bound organic carbon. Our data suggest that there is seasonal turnover of iron minerals in partially thawed permafrost peatlands, but that a fraction of the Fe pool remains stable even under continuously anoxic conditions.

Iron mineral dissolution releases iron and associated organic carbon during permafrost thaw.

It has been shown that reactive soil minerals, specifically iron(III) (oxyhydr)oxides, can trap organic carbon in soils overlying intact permafrost, and may limit carbon mobilization and degradation as it is observed in other environments. However, the use of iron(III)-bearing minerals as terminal electron acceptors in permafrost environments, and thus their stability and capacity to prevent carbon mobilization during permafrost thaw, is poorly understood. We have followed the dynamic interactions between iron and carbon using a space-for-time approach across a thaw gradient in Abisko (Sweden), where wetlands are expanding rapidly due to permafrost thaw. We show through bulk (selective extractions, EXAFS) and nanoscale analysis (correlative SEM and nanoSIMS) that organic carbon is bound to reactive Fe primarily in the transition between organic and mineral horizons in palsa underlain by intact permafrost (41.8 ± 10.8 mg carbon per g soil, 9.9 to 14.8% of total soil organic carbon). During permafrost thaw, water-logging and O2 limitation lead to reducing conditions and an increase in abundance of Fe(III)-reducing bacteria which favor mineral dissolution and drive mobilization of both iron and carbon along the thaw gradient. By providing a terminal electron acceptor, this rusty carbon sink is effectively destroyed along the thaw gradient and cannot prevent carbon release with thaw.