Vegetation Warming Experiment: 15N Uptake Experiment Arctagrostis latifolia 15N Uptake, Utqiagvik (Barrow), Alaska, 2018

DOI: https://doi.org/10.5440/1784751
NGEE Arctic Record ID: NGA258
Data Version: 1.0
Abstract

This dataset consists of atom percentage of 15N in excess of natural abundance after injection and incubation, uptake rate of 15N during incubation period and percent recovery of 15N labeled ammonia in A. latifolia tissues in vegetation warming experiment enclosures and paired control plots located on the BEO, Utqiaġvik, Alaska.

Vegetation warming chambers (Zero Power) were deployed on the Barrow Environmental Observatory (BEO), Utqiaġvik, Alaska. These chambers (Figure 1) consistently elevated air temperatures by approximately 4°C using a self-venting system described by Lewin et al (2017). Five chambers were deployed from June 17, 2018 to September 24, 2018 on the BEO within a 1 km2 area centered on 71.275N, -156.641W. Each chamber was co-located with an ambient plot where temperatures were not manipulated on patches of tundra containing the target species Arctagrostis latifolia. An intensive field campaign in late July investigated the impact of warming had on A. latifolia biomass, chemistry, and uptake of 15N labeled ammonia that was injected into the surface soils for one week. Initial measurements were taken on July 21, 2018. Harvest occurred on July 27, 2018. Water-extractable nutrients in soils were measured in July following harvests of A. latifolia plants and underlying soils. Availability of ammonia, nitrate, and phosphate throughout the growing season was measured by extracting nutrients bound to anion and cation binding resins deployed from July through September. Environmental variables (thaw depth, surface soil temperatures, surface soil moisture) were measured. Leaf traits and root traits of A. latifolia were also measured.

The Next-Generation Ecosystem Experiments: Arctic (NGEE Arctic), was a research effort to reduce uncertainty in Earth System Models by developing a predictive understanding of carbon-rich Arctic ecosystems and feedbacks to climate. NGEE Arctic was supported by the Department of Energy’s Office of Biological and Environmental Research.

The NGEE Arctic project had two field research sites: 1) located within the Arctic polygonal tundra coastal region on the Barrow Environmental Observatory (BEO) and the North Slope near Utqiagvik (Barrow), Alaska and 2) multiple areas on the discontinuous permafrost region of the Seward Peninsula north of Nome, Alaska.

Through observations, experiments, and synthesis with existing datasets, NGEE Arctic provided an enhanced knowledge base for multi-scale modeling and contributed to improved process representation at global pan-Arctic scales within the Department of Energy’s Earth system Model (the Energy Exascale Earth System Model, or E3SM), and specifically within the E3SM Land Model component (ELM).

Authors
Verity Salmon (salmonvg@ornl.gov) 0000-0002-2188-551X
Joanne Childs (childsj@ornl.gov) 0000000220027337
Colleen Iversen (iversencm@ornl.gov) 0000000182933450
Breann Spencer (shangping888@gmail.com)
Alistair Rogers (arogers@bnl.gov) 0000-0001-9262-7430
Kim Ely (kely@bnl.gov) 0000-0002-3915-001X
Shawn Serbin (sserbin@bnl.gov) 0000-0003-4136-8971
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Dataset Citation
Verity Salmon, Joanne Childs, Colleen Iversen, Breann Spencer, Alistair Rogers, Kim Ely, Shawn Serbin. 2021. Vegetation Warming Experiment: 15N Uptake Experiment Arctagrostis latifolia 15N Uptake, Utqiagvik (Barrow), Alaska, 2018. Next Generation Ecosystem Experiments Arctic Data Collection, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, U.S. Department of Energy, Oak Ridge, Tennessee, USA. Dataset accessed on [INSERT_DATE] at https://doi.org/10.5440/1784751.
Dates
2018-07-25 - 2018-07-25
Geographic Location
NGEE Arctic Utqiagvik (Barrow), Alaska
North71.35
South71.2
East-156.4
West-156.7
Place Keywords:
Utqiagvik, Alaska | Barrow Environmental Observatory (BEO), Alaska
Subject Keywords:
atom percentage |
GCMD Keywords
EARTH SCIENCE > BIOSPHERE > VEGETATION
Methodology
Warming treatment was implemented in Utqiaġvik, Alaska on the Northern coastal plain using Zero Power Warming (ZPW) chambers that elevate air temperatures by approximately 4°C. Details on design and impact of the warming chambers are documented in Lewin and others (2017). At one location within each chambered plot and co-located ambient plot, 9 x 9 cm areas of A. latifolia were harvested. A serrated knife was used to cut the organic layer (approximately 8 cm in depth) into a square block. Organic soil and intact vegetation were then removed together. To sample roots and soils beneath the organic layer, a soil core was collected from within the footprint of the harvested block (diameter=5 cm). Soil cores spanned the bottom of the organic horizon to frozen ground. Immediately following collection, soil cores were separated in into 5 cm depth intervals. All equipment was wiped down with ethanol between plots to prevent isotopic contamination. Organic horizon samples were taken to the field lab where A. latifolia biomass was separated from organic soils within 48 hours and sorted by tissue type (attached litter, blades, sheaths, inflorescences, rhizomes, fine roots). Plant materials were then dried at 65°C for 24 hours. In the field lab, organic soil samples and soil cores were also subsampled for bulk density, gravimetric water content, and bulk soil %C and %N. All soil samples were then frozen and shipped to Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, TN (ORNL) for further processing. (Note: This user guide includes only data for 15N labeled plots. Data from natural abundance plots can be found in supplemental files). At two replicate locations within each chambered plot and co-located ambient plot, a trace amount of 15N was introduced to the soil pool with a 15N-NH4Cl solution (2.4 mmol 15N-NH4Cl L-1; Sigma Aldrich >= 98 atom% 15N, Lot # MBBC2459). The solution was injected using a spinal port needle inserted to 3 cm depth. Each labeled area was 12 x 12 cm and injections were performed at 3 cm intervals in a gridded pattern. At each of the 16 injection points, a 5 ml aliquot of the 15N-NH4Cl solution was injected. Test injections of food coloring into the soil at this site revealed that the diffusion of this solution volume was approximately 1.5 cm- this method therefore ensured we applied a consistent, even label of +200 mg 15N m-2 (similar to loading in McKane et al., 2002). To protect 15N-labeled vegetation from herbivores, a wire mesh cage was installed around each injection area. After a period of six days, the inner 9 x 9 cm of each 15N-labeled area was harvested following the protocol described above. Attached litter, blades, sheaths, inflorescences, rhizomes, and fine roots tissues of A. latifolia were dried and weighed prior to being ground to a homogenous powder on a Geno/Grinder 2010 (SpexSamplePrep, Metuchen, New Jersey, USA) and analyzed for 15N content on an Integra CN mass spectrometer (SerCon, Crewe, UK). Tissue-specific %C and %N were analyzed on a Costech ECS 4010 CHNSO analyzer (Costech Analytical Technologies, Inc Valencia, CA, USA). If fine root tissue samples were too small to run for 15N, %N and %C, they were combined with fine root samples from adjacent depths. Any remaining gaps in chemistry data were filled with averages values from replicate harvests in the same plot (for %N and 15N) or from cross plot averages per tissue type (%C). Tissue pools from each harvest (3 harvests per plot, 1 natural abundance harvest, 2 15N labelled harvests) were expressed per m2 ground area based on the area harvested (9 cm x 9 cm). The atom percentage 15N in excess (APE, atm%) for each tissue in 15N labeled harvests was calculated as: APE = 15Nlabeled - 15Nnatural abundance where 15Nlabeled was atom percent 15N for the tissue in the 15N-labeled harvest and15Nnatural abundance was atom percent 15N of the tissue from the corresponding natural abundance harvest. 15N uptake rate (µg 15N m-2 hr-1) during the entire incubation period was then calculated for each tissue as: 15Nuptake = Tissue N x APE/100 x 1/T where Tissue N was µg N m-2 based on the tissue biomass and %N and T was the incubation time in hours. 15N uptake reflects only the rate of uptake for the labeled form of NH4 from the soil solution and is influenced by the dilution by the total available NH4 pool in the soil. We therefore calculated overall N uptake (N uptake, µg N m-2 hr-1) rate based on the isotope mixing model of (McKane et al., 2002; Gallet-Budynek et al., 2009): N uptake = 15Nuptake x CavailableN/C15Nlabel where Cavailable N was the pool of water-extractable NH4 in the diffusion zone where the 15N label was introduced (1.5 cm to 4.5 cm depth based on 1.5 cm diffusion radius, mg N m-2) and C15N label was the amount of 15N introduced to the diffusion zone (200 mg 15N m-2).
Related References
Verity Salmon, Joanne Childs, Colleen Iversen, Breann Spencer, Alistair Rogers, Kim Ely, Shawn Serbin. 2021. Vegetation Warming Experiment: 15N Uptake Experiment Arctagrostis latifolia Canopy Traits, Utqiagvik (Barrow), Alaska, 2018. Next Generation Ecosystem Experiments Arctic Data Collection, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, U.S. Department of Energy, Oak Ridge, Tennessee, USA. https://doi.org/10.5440/1784759
Verity Salmon, Joanne Childs, Colleen Iversen, Breann Spencer, Alistair Rogers, Kim Ely, Shawn Serbin. 2021. Vegetation Warming Experiment: 15N Uptake Experiment Environmental Observations and Thaw Depth, Utqiagvik (Barrow), Alaska, 2018. Next Generation Ecosystem Experiments Arctic Data Collection, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, U.S. Department of Energy, Oak Ridge, Tennessee, USA. https://doi.org/10.5440/1784757
Verity Salmon, Joanne Childs, Colleen Iversen, Breann Spencer, Alistair Rogers, Kim Ely, Shawn Serbin. 2021. Vegetation Warming Experiment: 15N Uptake Experiment Arctagrostis latifolia Biomass and Chemistry, Utqiagvik (Barrow), Alaska, 2018. Next Generation Ecosystem Experiments Arctic Data Collection, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, U.S. Department of Energy, Oak Ridge, Tennessee, USA. https://doi.org/10.5440/1784750
Verity Salmon, Joanne Childs, Colleen Iversen, Breann Spencer, Alistair Rogers, Kim Ely, Shawn Serbin. 2021. Vegetation Warming Experiment: 15N Uptake Experiment Arctagrostis latifolia Root Traits, Utqiagvik (Barrow), Alaska, 2018. Next Generation Ecosystem Experiments Arctic Data Collection, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, U.S. Department of Energy, Oak Ridge, Tennessee, USA. https://doi.org/10.5440/1784749
Verity Salmon, Joanne Childs, Colleen Iversen, Breann Spencer, Alistair Rogers, Kim Ely, Shawn Serbin. 2021. Vegetation Warming Experiment: 15N Uptake Experiment Inorganic Nitrogen and Phosphorus on Resins, Utqiagvik (Barrow), Alaska, 2018. Next Generation Ecosystem Experiments Arctic Data Collection, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, U.S. Department of Energy, Oak Ridge, Tennessee, USA. https://doi.org/10.5440/1784752
Verity Salmon, Joanne Childs, Colleen Iversen, Breann Spencer, Alistair Rogers, Kim Ely, Shawn Serbin. 2021. Vegetation Warming Experiment: 15N Uptake Experiment Water-Extractable Soil Nutrients, Utqiagvik (Barrow), Alaska, 2018. Next Generation Ecosystem Experiments Arctic Data Collection, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, U.S. Department of Energy, Oak Ridge, Tennessee, USA. https://doi.org/10.5440/1784755
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Related Identifiers
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Metadata Contact
Contact information for the individual or organization that is knowledgeable about the data.
Person: Hannah Blanco
Organization: Oak Ridge National Laboratory
Email: blancohl@ornl.gov
Point of Contact
Contact information for the individual or organization that is knowledgeable about the data.
Person: Verity Salmon
Organization: Oak Ridge National Laboratory
Email: salmonvg@ornl.gov
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