[1] Primary productivity in the central Arctic Ocean has recently been reported as being much higher than earlier thought. If a significant fraction of this primary production were exported from the immediate surface region, present estimates of the carbon budget for the Arctic Ocean would have to be reassessed. Using the deficit of phosphate in the central Arctic Ocean, we show that the export production is very low, on an average less than 0.5 gC m(-2) yr(-1). This is at least an order of magnitude lower than the total production as measured or estimated from oxygen data, thus indicating extensive recycling of nutrients in the upper waters of the central Arctic Ocean and very little export production.

Although burial of surface organic soil horizons into deeper mineral soil layers helps drive the long-term buildup of carbon in arctic soils, when and why buried horizons formed as result of cryoturbation in northern Sweden remain unclear. In this study, we used C-14 and Pb-210 dating to assess when organic matter was buried within non-sorted circles fields near Abisko in northern Sweden. In addition, we used aerial photos from 1959 and 2008 to detect eventual trends in cryogenic activities during this period. We found that organic matter from former organic horizons (stratigraphically intact or partly fragmented) corresponds to three major periods: 0-100 A. D., 900-1250 A. D., and 1650-1950 A. D. The latter two periods were indicated by several dated samples, while the extent of the oldest period is more uncertainty (indicated by only one sample). The aerial photos suggest a net overgrowth by shrub vegetation of previously exposed mineral soil surfaces since 1959. This overgrowth trend was seen in most of the studied fields (92 out of 137 analyzed fields), indicating that the cryogenic activity has mainly decreased in studied non-sorted circles fields since the 1950s. This latter interpretation is also supported by the absence of buried organic layers formed during the last decades. We suggest that the organic matter was buried during the transition from longer cold periods to warmer conditions. We believe these climatic shifts could have triggered regional scale burial of soil organic matter and thus affected how these soils sequestered carbon.

Subarctic aerosols were sampled during July 2007 at the Abisko Scientific Research Station Stordalen site in northern Sweden with an instrument setup consisting of a custom-built Hygroscopicity Tandem Differential Mobility Analyzer (HTDMA) connected in series to a single particle mass spectrometer. Aerosol chemical composition in the form of bipolar single particle mass spectra was determined as a function of hygroscopic growth both in situ and in real time. The HTDMA was deployed at a relative humidity of 82%, and particles with a dry mobility diameter of 260 nm were selected. Aerosols from two distinct air masses were analyzed during the sampling period. Sea salt aerosols were found to be the dominant particle group with the highest hygroscopicity. High intensities of sodium and related peaks in the mass spectra were identified as exclusive markers for large hygroscopic growth. Particles from biomass combustion were found to be the least hygroscopic aerosol category. Species normally considered soluble (e.g., sulfates and nitrates) were found in particles ranging from high to low hygroscopicity. Furthermore, the signal intensities of the peaks related to these species did not correlate with hygroscopicity.

Although much attention in recent years has been devoted to methane (CH4) emissions from northern wetlands, measurement based data sets providing full annual budgets are still limited in number. This study was designed to help fill the gap of year-round measurements of CH4 emissions from subarctic mires. We report continuous eddy correlation CH4 flux measurements made during 2006 and 2007 over the Stordalen mire in subarctic Sweden (68°20′N, 19°03′E, altitude 351 m) using a cryocooled tunable diode laser. The landscape-scale CH4 fluxes originated mainly from the permafrost free wet parts of the mire dominated by tall graminoid vegetation. The midseason average CH4 emission mean was 6.2 ± 2.6 mg m−2 h−1. A detailed footprint analysis indicates an additional strong influence on the flux by the nearby shallow Lake Villasjön (0.17 km2, maximum depth 1.3 m). A stable bimodal distribution of wind flow from either the east or the west allowed separating the lake and mire vegetation signals. The midseason lake emission rates were as high as 12.3 ± 3.3 mg m−2 h−1. Documented CH4 fluxes are similar to results obtained by automatic chamber technique and higher than manual chamber measurements made in the wet minerotrophic section dominated by Eriophorum angustifolium. The high fluxes observed from this vegetation type are significant because the areal distribution of this source in the mire is expanding due to ongoing thawing of the permafrost. A simple peat temperature relationship with CH4 emissions was used to fill data gaps to construct a complete annual budget of CH4 fluxes over the studied area. The calculated annual CH4 emissions in 2006 and 2007 equaled 24.5 and 29.5 g CH4 m−2 yr−1, respectively. The summer season CH4 emissions dominated (65%) the annual flux, with the shoulder seasons of spring and autumn significant (25%) and a minor flux from the winter (10%).

Climate change and thawing of permafrost will likely result in increased decomposition of terrestrial organic carbon and subsequent carbon emissions to the atmosphere from terrestrial and aquatic systems. The quantitative importance of mineralization of terrestrial organic carbon in lakes in relation to terrestrial carbon fluxes is poorly understood and a serious drawback for the understanding of carbon budgets. We studied a subarctic lake in an area of discontinuous permafrost to assess the quantitative importance of lake carbon emission for the catchment carbon balance. Estimates of net ecosystem production and stable carbon-isotope composition of dissolved organic carbon in the lake water suggest substantial input and respiration of terrestrial organic carbon in the lake. The lake was a net source of CO₂ and CH₄ to the atmosphere at ice breakup in spring and during the whole ice-free period. The carbon emission from the lake was similar in magnitude to the terrestrial net release of carbon to the atmosphere. The results indicate that lakes are important sources of catchment carbon emission, potentially increasing the positive feedback from permafrost thawing on global warming.

Thawing of permafrost and a subsequent accelerated loss of mercury from the soil constitute a possible threat to the quality of high-latitude surface waters. In this paper we estimate the export of mercury generated by a thawing palsa mire in northern Sweden, by assessing net mercury storage changes along thermokarst erosion gradients. Lower mercury inventories in inundated hummocks covered by water (≤3.1 mg Hg m²) than in noneroding hummocks (between 5.5 and 8 mg Hg m²) suggests a release of ~40-95% of the mercury pool from hummock peat experiencing subsidence and submerging. The documented expansion of submerged areas between 1970 and 2000 in the studied system indicates that permafrost thawing has initiated a mobilization of 34 to 50 g mercury. We stress the need of further assessing the fate of this mercury because the size of the mobilized mercury pool might be highly significant for subarctic surface waters.

Interplanetary coronal mass ejections (ICME) and corotating interaction regions (CIR) alter the parameters of the solar wind and interplanetary magnetic field (IMF) that affect conditions in the Earth's magnetosphere and particle precipitation in the auroral zone. We perform a superposed epoch study of the effects of ICME-dominated and CIR-dominated solar wind on particle precipitation during geomagnetic storms. We use data from a set of 38 CIR events and 33 ICME events. Particle precipitation is inferred from cosmic noise absorption (CNA) recorded by the riometer at Abisko. The electron flux intensity at geosynchronous orbit close to the location of the riometer is taken from the synchronous orbit particle analyzer (SOPA) onboard the Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) satellite LANL-01A. The results show that mean CNA is more intense during the main phase of ICME-driven storms. In contrast, mean CNA remains elevated for a much longer period during CIR-driven storms indicating prolonged periods of particle precipitation. Enhanced CNA over a sustained period of time is observed during CIR-driven storms that are categorized as only weak or moderate in terms of the response that they drive in the Dst index (Dst >-100 nT). This result indicates that events which may be considered geomagnetically ineffective have a significant effect on particle precipitation in the auroral zone. The elevated CNA observed during CIR-driven storms is accompanied by elevated electron flux intensity, measured at geosynchronous orbit, over all channels in the 50-500 keV range at all local times.

Near-surface observations of gas phase dimethyl sulfide, DMS(g), over the central Arctic Ocean display large temporal variability. By using a three-dimensional numerical model, the atmospheric part of COAMPS2.0 (R), we show that meteorological processes such as transport and mixing cause variability in DMS(g) of the same order as in the observations. The observations used in this study were taken on board the icebreaker Oden that cruised the high Arctic during the following three expeditions: the International Arctic Ocean Expedition 1991, the Arctic Ocean Expedition 1996, and the Arctic Ocean Experiment 2001. Calculation of air-sea flux and photochemical decay of DMS( g) was added to COAMPS2.0 (R). A 10-day period in August 2001 was modeled. The time development of observed DMS(g) is captured by the model, correlation coefficient 0.76, in spite of a simplified treatment of DMS processes. Also, the model results clearly show that DMS(g) is advected over the pack ice in plumes originating from different source areas around the pack ice.

The ice cap Vestfonna in the northern Svalbard archipelago is one of the largest ice bodies of the European Arctic (similar to 2400 km(2)), but little is known about its mass balance. We model the climatic mass balance of the ice cap for the period September 2000 to August 2009 on a daily basis. Ablation is calculated by a spatially distributed temperature-radiation-index melt model. Air temperature forcing is provided by ERA-Interim data that is downscaled using data from an automatic weather station operated on the ice cap. Spatially distributed net shortwave radiation fluxes are obtained from standard trigonometric techniques combined with Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer-based cloud cover and surface albedo information. Accumulation is derived from ERA-Interim precipitation data that are bias corrected and spatially distributed as a function of elevation. Refreezing is incorporated using the P(max) approach. Results indicate that mass balance years are characterized by short ablation seasons (June to August) and correspondingly longer accumulation periods (September to May). The modeled, annual climatic mass balance rate shows an almost balanced mean of -0.02 +/- 0.20 m w.e. yr(-1) (meters water equivalent per year) with an associated equilibrium line altitude of 383 +/- 54 m above sea level (mean +/- one standard deviation). The mean winter balance is +0.32 +/- 0.06 m w.e. yr(-1), and the mean summer balance -0.35 +/- 0.17 m w.e. yr(-1). Roughly one fourth of total surface ablation is retained by refreezing indicating that refreezing is an important component of the mass budget of Vestfonna.

Loss of permafrost can modify the export and composition of dissolved organic carbon (DOC) from subarctic peatlands by changing the hydrological regime and altering ecosystem structure and function. In Stordalen peatland complex (68.20°N, 19.03°E) recent permafrost thaw has caused a conversion of the palsa parts (an ombrotrophic, permafrost affected peatland type) into both bog and flow-through fen peatland types. Within the Stordalen peatland complex we estimated the DOC mass balance and assessed DOC composition for one palsa catchment, one bog catchment and two fens in order to assess the possible impacts of permafrost thaw on peatland complex DOC export. The fens were found to have higher net DOC export rates at 8.1 and 7.0 g C m?2 yr?1 than either the palsa or bog catchments, at 3.2 and 3.5 g C m?2 yr?1, respectively. The snowmelt period was more important for the annual DOC export from the palsa and bog catchments than for the fens, representing 65?100% of the palsa and bog catchment exports while 35?60% of the net fen exports. DOC exported from the palsa and bog catchments were characterized by high aromaticity, molecular weight, C/N ratios, and contained DOC of primarily terrestrial origin. The fens exhibited a shift in DOC composition between inflows and outflows that suggested that fens act as catchment locations for degradation and transformation of DOC. Permafrost thaw can thus alter the magnitude, timing, and composition of subarctic peatland DOC exports due to interactions among peatland type, permafrost conditions, and hydrological setting.

Estimates of the sea-to-air flux of dimethylsulfide (DMS) are based on sea surface concentration measurements and gas exchange calculations. Such calculations are dependent on the diffusivity of DMS (DDMS), which has never been experimentally determined. In this study the diffusivity of DMS in pure water was measured over a temperature range of 5°–30°C. The measurements were made using a dynamic diffusion cell in which the diffusing gas flows over one side of an agar gel membrane and the inert gas flows over the other side. The diffusion coefficient can be estimated from either time dependent or steady state analysis of the data, with an estimated uncertainty of less than 8% (1σ) in each measurement. A best fit to all the experimental results yields the equation DDMS (in cm2 sec−1) = 0.020 exp (−18.1/RT), where R = 8.314 × 10−3 kJ mole−1 K−1 and T is temperature in kelvin. The values of DDMS obtained in this study were 7–28% larger than estimates from the empirical formula of Hayduk and Laudie (1974) which has previously been used for DMS in gas exchange calculations. Applying these values to seawater results in an increase of less than 5% in the global oceanic flux of DMS.

We use data from a CTD plume-mapping campaign conducted during the Arctic Gakkel Vents (AGAVE) expedition in 2007 to constrain the nature of hydrothermal processes on the Gakkel Ridge at 85 degrees E. Thermal and redox potential (Eh) anomalies were detected in two discrete depth intervals: 2400-2800 m (Interval 1) and 3000-3800 m (Interval 2). The spatial and temporal patterns of the signals indicate that the Interval 1 anomalies were most likely generated by a single large, high-temperature (T > 100 degrees C) vent field located on the fault terraces that form the NE axial valley wall. In contrast, the Interval 2 anomalies appear to have been generated by up to 7 spatially distinct vent fields associated with constructional volcanic features on the floor of the axial valley, many of which may be sites of diffuse, low-temperature (T < 10 degrees C) discharge. Numerical simulations of turbulent plumes rising in a weakly stratified Arctic Ocean water column indicate that the high-temperature field on the axial valley wall has a thermal power of 1.8 GW, similar to the Trans-Atlantic Geotraverse and Rainbow fields in the Atlantic Ocean, whereas the sites on the axial valley floor have values ranging from 5 to 110 MW.

[1] The amount of methane (CH₄) emitted from northern lakes to the atmosphere is uncertain but is expected to increase as a result of arctic warming. A majority of CH₄ is thought to be released through ebullition (bubbling), a pathway with extreme spatial variability that limits the accuracy of measurements. We assessed ebullition during early and late winter by quantifying bubbles trapped in the ice cover of two lakes in a landscape with degrading permafrost in arctic Sweden using random transect sampling and a digital image processing technique. Bubbles covered up to ∼8% of the lake area and were largely dominated by point source emissions with spatial variabilities of up to 1056%. Bubble occurrence differed significantly between early and late season ice, between the two lakes and among different zones within each lake (p < 0.001). Using a common method, we calculated winter fluxes of up to 129 ± 486 mg CH₄ m⁻² d⁻¹. These calculations are, on average, two times higher than estimates from North Siberian and Alaskan lakes and four times higher than emissions measured from the same lakes during summer. Therefore, the calculations are likely overestimates and point to the likelihood that estimating CH₄ fluxes from ice bubble distributions may be more difficult than believed. This study also shows that bubbles quantified using few transects will most likely be unsuitable in making large‐scale flux estimates. At least 19 transects covering ∼1% of the lake area were required to examine ebullition with high precision in our studied lakes.

Variation of the surface water CO₂ concentration is likely to be the result of biological activity and physical processes as water mixing and gas exchange with the atmosphere. Here we have studied the variations in surface water CO₂ during the ice-free period in the humic Lake Merasjärvi in northern Sweden. Meteorological, hydrological and limnological data were collected using data logging equipment permitting high time-resolution. The surface water of the lake was supersaturated with respect to CO₂ throughout the study period. There were, however, considerable diurnal and longer-term temporal variations of the surface water CO₂ concentrations. Partial least squares (PLS) models were used to link the logged CO₂ data to the multivariate dataset. On the longer-term time scale (analyzed with 24h means of the logged data) high concentrations of surface water CO₂ were best related to the depth and temperature of the upper warmer layer (epilimnion), and to erosion of the underlying colder layer (hypolimnion). The diurnal variation (analyzed with 30 minute means of the logged data) was best related to the thermal dynamics within the epilimnion, which regulated the surface water access to CO₂ stores within this layer. Variables related to CO₂ emission and photosynthesis (wind and PAR), showed only weak correlations to variations of the surface water CO₂ concentration. Accordingly, the CO₂ flux, measured with the eddy-covariance technique, was not correlated to the surface water CO₂ concentration.