Digging for Answers

Our search for the effects of climate change has now shifted our gaze below ground. Today the Team braved the elements of wind and rain, humidity and black flies to begin digging soil samples from various tundra study sites. Our analysis of local soil composition is part of a long-term investigation to determine the overall extent of the region’s soil carbon sink. Scientists believe that the carbon sink acts as a storage bank for an abundance of greenhouse gases. By far, the most significant source of organic carbon is permafrost. Permafrost, or permanently frozen ground, is soil, sediment, or rock that remains at or below 0°C for at least two years. Later this week, we will be coring the local permafrost for measurements of depth and content.



The morning collection site was a place called the Fen, a low-lying wetland area of slightly alkaline peat covered with sedges and other aquatic plants spread across hilly hummocks and muddy shallows. In the afternoon, we gathered samples at the Tree Island site, a small cluster of spruce trees perched atop a beach ridge formation that runs parallel to the Hudson Bay coast. In each case, our three teams gathered approximately 54 soil samples of three different depths. We collected soil from 0-10 cm, 10-20 cm, and 20-30 cm below the surface. After logging photos, pit measurements, and GPS coordinates, we returned each labeled bag to the lab to determine its wet mass before placing them in drying ovens. Once our soil samples are dry, we will test them for moisture levels and carbon composition.

Since we went digging today, I have a couple questions for you to uncover: Where do you think organic carbon is stored in nature? Why is permafrost a such a significant factor in the stability of global climate conditions? Need a hint?
Check out http://nsidc.org/sotc/permafrost.html and
http://nsidc.org/cgi-bin/words/topic.pl?frozen%20ground%20or%20permafrost.
In other words, dig deeper!