Thermo-erosion gullies increase nitrogen available for hydrologic export Tamara K. Harms • Benjamin W. Abbott • Jeremy B. Jones Received: 10 November 2012 / Accepted: 7 May 2013 Ó Springer Science+Business Media Dordrecht 2013 Abstract Formation of thermokarst features, ground subsidence caused by thaw of ice-rich permafrost, can result in increased export of inorganic nitrogen (N) from arctic tundra to downstream ecosystems. We compared physical characteristics, N pools, and rates of N transformations in soils collected from thermo-erosion gullies, intact water tracks (the typical precursor landform to thermo-erosion gullies), and undisturbed tundra to test potential mechanisms contributing to export of inorganic N. Subsidence exposes mineral soils, which tend to contain higher abundance of inorganic ions relative to surface soils, and may bring inorganic N into contact with flowing water. Alternatively, physical mixing may increase aeration and drainage of soils, which could promote N mineralization and nitrification while suppressing denitrification. Finally, some soil types are more prone to formation of thermokarst, and if these soils are relatively N-rich, thermokarst features may export more N than surrounding tundra. Inorganic N pools in thermo-erosion gullies were similar to the mean for all tundra types in this region, as well as to water tracks when integrated across two sampled depths. Thus, soils prone to thermo-erosion are not intrinsically N-rich, and increased N availability in thermokarst features is apparent only at sub-regional spatial scales. However, vertical profiles of N pools and transforma- tion rates were homogenized within thermo-erosion gullies compared to adjacent intact tundra, indicating that physical mixing brings inorganic N to the surface, where it may be subject to hydrologic export. Increased inorganic N availability caused by forma- tion of thermo-erosion gullies may have acute, local- ized consequences for aquatic ecosystems downstream of positions within drainage networks that are susceptible to thermo-erosion. Keywords Arctic tundra Á Denitrification Á Mineralization Á Nitrification Á Nitrogen Á Permafrost Á Thermo-erosion gully Á Thermokarst Introduction Tundra landscapes are characterized by strong nitrogen (N) limitation that results in a closed N cycle, with little export of inorganic N to aquatic ecosystems and the atmosphere (Buckeridge and Grogan 2010; Yano et al. 2010). However, warming climate and loss of perma- frost may disrupt the mechanisms regulating arctic N cycling and cause significant export of N (Frey et al. 2007; McClelland et al. 2007). Experimental warming of arctic tundra results in elevated inorganic N availability (Buckeridge and Grogan 2010; Natali Responsible Editor: Sujay Kaushal T. K. Harms (&) Á B. W. Abbott Á J. B. Jones Department of Biology & Wildlife and Institute of Arctic Biology, University of Alaska Fairbanks, Fairbanks, AK, USA e-mail: tamara.harms@alaska.edu 123 Biogeochemistry DOI 10.1007/s10533-013-9862-0