Long-term summer warming reduces post-fire carbon dioxide losses in an arctic heath tundra

The frequency and extent of wildfires in the Arctic has been increasing due to climate change. However, there is a lack of understanding about long-term impacts of climate warming on post-fire carbon dioxide (CO2) exchange in arctic tundra ecosystems. To investigate this, we conducted an experimental low-intensity fire in combination with summer warming (using open top chambers) in a dry heath tundra ecosystem in West Greenland. We report here on the impact four and five years after the fire. We also examined immediate effects of soil heating to three temperature levels (35, 55 and 80 degrees C), as a simulation of heat transfer during a typical tundra fire. Fire increased soil organic phosphorus concentrations up to at least four years after the burning. The burned areas remained a net CO2 source five years after the fire, mainly due to the lower aboveground vegetation biomass and reduced gross ecosystem production (GEP). However, with four to five years of summer warming, the GEP, ecosystem respiration and soil respiration significantly increased, and burned areas turned into a net CO2 sink. Ex-situ soil heating to the temperature of 55 degrees C, reaching the heat load comparable with in-situ burning, had minor effects on soil GHG fluxes. This suggests that soil GHG activities are not immediately affected by heat transfer and asso-ciated soil temperature increases during a typical low-intensity wildfire in arctic dry tundra. Overall, our results reveal that in a future warmer climate, vegetation is likely to recover more quickly from fires, resulting in a reduction in post-fire CO2 losses.

Automated summary

The frequency and extent of wildfires in the Arctic have been increasing due to climate change. In this study, researchers conducted experiments in West Greenland to investigate the long-term impacts of climate warming on post-fire carbon dioxide exchange in arctic tundra ecosystems. They found that fire increased soil organic phosphorus concentrations and burned areas remained a net CO2 source five years after the fire. However, with four to five years of summer warming, the burned areas turned into a net CO2 sink.