Multidecadal increases in the Yukon River Basin of chemical fluxes as indicators of changing flowpaths, groundwater, and permafrost

The Yukon River Basin, underlain by discontinuous permafrost, has experienced a warming climate over the last century that has altered air temperature, precipitation, and permafrost. We investigated a water chemistry database from 1982 to 2014 for the Yukon River and its major tributary, the Tanana...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Geophysical research letters 2016-12, Vol.43 (23), p.12,120-12,130
Main Authors: Toohey, R. C., Herman‐Mercer, N. M., Schuster, P. F., Mutter, E. A., Koch, J. C.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Active layer
Air temperature
Atmospheric precipitations
boreal
Carbon
Chemical precipitation
Chemistry
Climate
Climate change
Degradation
Discontinuity
Dissolved organic carbon
Fluctuations
Fluxes
Freshwater
Global warming
Groundwater
Indicators
Oxidation
Permafrost
Precipitation
River basins
Rivers
Soil degradation
Sulfides
Sulphates
Sulphides
Summer
surface water biogeochemistry
Temperature effects
time series analysis
Trends
Tributaries
Water chemistry
Weathering
Winter
Yukon River
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Summary:The Yukon River Basin, underlain by discontinuous permafrost, has experienced a warming climate over the last century that has altered air temperature, precipitation, and permafrost. We investigated a water chemistry database from 1982 to 2014 for the Yukon River and its major tributary, the Tanana River. Significant increases of Ca, Mg, and Na annual flux were found in both rivers. Additionally, SO4 and P annual flux increased in the Yukon River. No annual trends were observed for dissolved organic carbon (DOC) from 2001 to 2014. In the Yukon River, Mg and SO4 flux increased throughout the year, while some of the most positive trends for Ca, Mg, Na, SO4, and P flux occurred during the fall and winter months. Both rivers exhibited positive monthly DOC flux trends for summer (Yukon River) and winter (Tanana River). These trends suggest increased active layer expansion, weathering, and sulfide oxidation due to permafrost degradation throughout the Yukon River Basin. Key Points Annual flux of major ions (Ca, Mg, Na, and SO4) and P have significantly increased over the last three decades in the Yukon River Basin (YRB) Fall and winter monthly fluxes of major ions, P, and dissolved organic carbon (DOC) have significantly increased over the past three decades Positive trends of these fluxes suggest active layer expansion and increased weathering due to permafrost degradation and erosion
ISSN:0094-8276
1944-8007
DOI:10.1002/2016GL070817