Spatial and temporal patterns of biophysical variables and their influence on CO2 flux in a high arctic wetland

Arctic wetlands have been globally important carbon reservoirs throughout the past but climate change is threatening to shift their status to carbon sources. Increasing Arctic temperatures are depleting perennial snowpacks these wetlands depend upon as their hydrological inputs which is altering their environmental conditions and carbon cycles. The objective of this study is to investigate how the physical conditions of Arctic wetlands will be altered by climate change and what influence these changes will have on CO2 exchange. High spatial and temporal resolution biophysical data from a high Arctic wetland, collected over the growing season of 2015, was used for this analysis. The results from this study indicate that the wetland is at risk of thawing and drying out under a warmer climate regime. CO2 emissions were found to increase most significantly with increased air temperatures, while CO2 uptake increased with increases in solar radiation and soil moisture. Combined, these results suggest that CO2 production in the soil will increase while CO2 uptake will decrease in Arctic wetlands as climate change continues.