Changing carbon sinks in subarctic Canada

在人类世，人类驱动的碳循环变化改变了全球和局部气候，从而改变了经济和人类生活的方方面面。亚北极地区占加拿大陆地面积的1/6，但这是一个研究较少的地区**，人类居住较少，资源开采率正在增加。由于广泛的永久冻土层、大量的碳储量和低年降水量，亚北极中部和西部特别容易受到气候变化的影响（温度和降水）。地表水体作为温室气体（二氧化碳和甲烷）向大气的碳通量是陆地系统（包括湿地和湖泊/池塘边缘）的碳源与沉积物中储存的碳之间的平衡。地表水体的这种损失是巨大的，使我们量化气候变化和人类活动对这一大片地区的影响的能力变得复杂。本文研究了从南到北覆盖连续、广泛不连续和零星不连续永久冻土条件的三个地区的景观尺度碳平衡。我们将水文气候信息、化学分析、高度专业化的同位素技术、遥感和数值模拟相结合，以提高我们对碳动态、温室气体产生、碳储存以及沉积物长期储存（碳固存）和向大气释放（温室气体增加）之间的临界碳平衡的定量理解和预测。我们已经组建了一支强大的研究团队，包括来自加拿大和国际大学、地区和联邦政府、学生和土著社区的研究科学家。研究成果将为基于科学的管理和政策决策提供信息，并为加拿大北部的气候变化行动提供信息，以及加拿大对国际温室气体排放报告的义务。

In the Anthropocene, human-driven changes to carbon cycles alter global and local climates and hence all**aspects of economy and human life. The subarctic is 1/6 of the Canadian land mass but a poorly studied area**where human habitation is sparse and rates of resource extraction are increasing. The central and western**subarctic is particularly vulnerable to climate change effects (temperature and precipitation) due to extensive**permafrost, large stores of carbon, and low annual precipitation. Carbon fluxes to the atmosphere from surface**water bodies as greenhouse gases (carbon dioxide and methane) is a balance between carbon sources from**terrestrial systems including wetlands and lake/pond margins and carbon stored in sediments. This loss from**surface water bodies is large and complicates our ability to quantify the effect of climate change and human**activities on this large region. This proposal examines the landscape-scale carbon balance in three areas along a**transect from south to north covering conditions of continuous, widespread discontinuous, and sporadic**discontinuous permafrost. We use a combination of hydroclimatic information, chemical analysis, highly**specialized isotopic techniques, remote sensing, and numerical modelling to improve our quantitative**understanding and forecasting of carbon dynamics, greenhouse gas production, carbon stores and the critical**carbon balance between long-term storage in sediments (carbon sequestration) and release to the atmosphere**(increasing greenhouse gases). We have formed a strong research team including Canadian and international**research scientists from universities, territorial and federal governments, students, and Indigenous**communities. Research outcomes will inform science-based management and policy decisions and delivery of**climate change actions for Canada's north and Canada's obligations for international reporting on greenhouse**gas emissions.