This video explains how scientists from the Florence Bascom Geoscience Center research paleo-environmental wetland conditions and explain how studying these environments is valuable to better understand past changes and responses to disturbance, such as fire, sea-level rise
Wetlands in the Quaternary Project Completed
Wetlands accumulate organic-rich sediment or peat stratigraphically, making them great archives of past environmental change. Wetlands also act as hydrologic buffers on the landscape and are important to global biogeochemical cycling. This project uses wetland archives from a range of environments to better understand how vegetation, hydrology, and hydroclimate has changed on decadal to multi-millennial timescales, and how wetlands have responded to past perturbations, such as fire, sea-level rise, and permafrost degradation. We use a multi-proxy approach that includes pollen, plant macrofossils, stable isotope analysis, and radiometric dating. Study sites range from Florida and the Atlantic Coastal Plain to Alaska.
Project Lead: Miriam Jones
Project Team: Kristen Hoefke, Diana Carriker, Bailey Nash
Sea-level rise
Wetlands protect coastlines from sea-level rise, but wetland archives can also elucidate past change in rates and the responses of these coastal systems to those changes. By closely examining the layers laid down by wetland sediments and peat, we can use a combination of physical properties and radiometric dating to examine past rates of sea-level rise, while pollen, plant macrofossils, and stable isotopes, can provide insights into the depositional environment at the time of deposition. This project is currently examining Holocene rates of sea-level rise and mechanisms for inundation of formerly terrestrial environments in Florida Bay. We are also examining how tidal freshwater wetlands along the Atlantic Coastal Plain have shifted over the Holocene in response to changing rates of sea-level rise and the resilience of these riparian wetlands in the future.
Permafrost thaw
Permafrost, or permanently frozen ground, underlies vast swaths of the boreal and arctic zones. With thaw accelerating under current warming, wholesale ecological and hydrological changes are occurring, putting wildlife and infrastructure at risk. In permafrost peatlands, ice-rich permafrost thaw causes subsidence that can transform forested peatlands to wet herb and moss peatlands, resulting in large changes not only in the structure and function of these systems, but also in biogeochemical cycling. This project is examining the nature and rate of both permafrost aggradation and degradation on Holocene timescales to better understand trajectories of vegetation change and biogeochemical change upon thaw. Study sites include boreal peatlands in the discontinuous and sporadic permafrost zones of Alaska.
Land-use change
Human evidence of land-use change can be picked up to varying degrees in wetland records. In some cases, modifications are deliberate, such as ditching and draining of wetlands for harvesting of natural resources. In other cases, transformations to the larger landscape result in changes to neighboring wetlands and waterways, such as colonial land clearance that resulted in a large pulse of terrestrial sediment into riparian and coastal wetlands. This study is examining how a range of land-use changes have altered wetlands on decadal to centennial timescales, while also placing these changes into the greater context of natural variability by examining centennial to millennial-scale shifts. This project helps identify markers and impacts of land-use change and can also aid decision-makers and land managers plan for land restoration. Study sites include the Great Dismal Swamp, VA and tidal rivers on the Atlantic Coastal Plain.
Hydroclimate variability
Examining the range of hydroclimate variability from Holocene records can help contextualize recent observations. In some cases, hydroclimate variability is linked to long-term modes of climate variability, which can be linked to precipitation extremes and fisheries productivity. This study is examining Holocene hydroclimate variability using oxygen isotopes derived from peat cellulose across a the northern Gulf of Alaska and the Bering Sea to examine the timing and linkages to Aleutian Low variability and its connection to sea ice extent, ocean and atmosphere circulation, and teleconnections with northern hemisphere climate phenomena, such as El Nino Southern Oscillation, Arctic Oscillation, and the Pacific Decadal Oscillation.
Below are other science projects associated with this project.
Below are multimedia items associated with this project.
This video explains how scientists from the Florence Bascom Geoscience Center research paleo-environmental wetland conditions and explain how studying these environments is valuable to better understand past changes and responses to disturbance, such as fire, sea-level rise
This video explains how scientists from the Florence Bascom Geoscience Center research paleo-environmental wetland conditions and explain how studying these environments is valuable to better understand past changes and responses to disturbance, such as fire, sea-level rise, and perm
This video explains how scientists from the Florence Bascom Geoscience Center research paleo-environmental wetland conditions and explain how studying these environments is valuable to better understand past changes and responses to disturbance, such as fire, sea-level rise, and perm
Cores were collected from various areas of thawing permafrost-peatlands in Alaska. Permafrost thaw results in ground subsidence and inundation that kills black spruce and other understory plants living on the permafrost plateau.
Cores were collected from various areas of thawing permafrost-peatlands in Alaska. Permafrost thaw results in ground subsidence and inundation that kills black spruce and other understory plants living on the permafrost plateau.
Cores were collected from various areas of thawing permafrost-peatlands in Alaska. Permafrost thaw results in ground subsidence and inundation that kills black spruce and other understory plants living on the permafrost plateau.
Cores were collected from various areas of thawing permafrost-peatlands in Alaska. Permafrost thaw results in ground subsidence and inundation that kills black spruce and other understory plants living on the permafrost plateau.
Michael Toomey, Jessica Rodysill, and Tom Sheehan collect sediment cores from Lake Drummond, located within the Great Dismal Swamp. The cores were obtained using a vibracore, which was mounted on a platform between two canoes.
Michael Toomey, Jessica Rodysill, and Tom Sheehan collect sediment cores from Lake Drummond, located within the Great Dismal Swamp. The cores were obtained using a vibracore, which was mounted on a platform between two canoes.
Photograph of Lake Drummond, which is located within the Great Dismal Swamp in Virginia. USGS scientists recently collected peat and lake core samples from the swamp to help reconstruct natural environmental conditions over the past 12,000 years.
Photograph of Lake Drummond, which is located within the Great Dismal Swamp in Virginia. USGS scientists recently collected peat and lake core samples from the swamp to help reconstruct natural environmental conditions over the past 12,000 years.
Photograph of the Great Dismal Swamp in Virginia several years after the 2011 fire. USGS scientists recently collected peat and lake core samples from the swamp to help reconstruct natural environmental conditions over the past 12,000 years.
Photograph of the Great Dismal Swamp in Virginia several years after the 2011 fire. USGS scientists recently collected peat and lake core samples from the swamp to help reconstruct natural environmental conditions over the past 12,000 years.
Cores were collected from various areas of thawing permafrost-peatlands in Alaska. Permafrost thaw results in ground subsidence and inundation that kills black spruce and other understory plants living on the permafrost plateau.
Cores were collected from various areas of thawing permafrost-peatlands in Alaska. Permafrost thaw results in ground subsidence and inundation that kills black spruce and other understory plants living on the permafrost plateau.
USGS scientists recently collected peat and lake core samples from the swamp to help reconstruct natural, environmental conditions over the past 12,000 years.
USGS scientists recently collected peat and lake core samples from the swamp to help reconstruct natural, environmental conditions over the past 12,000 years.
Centuries of ditching, draining and harvesting resources have greatly altered the Great Dismal Swamp in Virginia.
Centuries of ditching, draining and harvesting resources have greatly altered the Great Dismal Swamp in Virginia.
Below are publications associated with this project.
The role of the upper tidal estuary in wetland blue carbon storage and flux
A North American Hydroclimate Synthesis (NAHS) of the Common Era
Rapid carbon loss and slow recovery following permafrost thaw in boreal peatlands
Soil data for a thermokarst bog and the surrounding permafrost plateau forest, located at Bonanza Creek Long Term Ecological Research Site, Interior Alaska
Holocene climate changes in eastern Beringia (NW North America) – A systematic review of multi-proxy evidence
Presence of rapidly degrading permafrost plateaus in south-central Alaska
Effects of permafrost aggradation on peat properties as determined from a pan-Arctic synthesis of plant macrofossils
Thermokarst lake methanogenesis along a complete talik profile
A shift of thermokarst lakes from carbon sources to sinks during the Holocene epoch
Late Holocene vegetation, climate, and land-use impacts on carbon dynamics in the Florida Everglades
A deglacial and Holocene record of climate variability in south-central Alaska from stable oxygen isotopes and plant macrofossils in peat
Evaluating CO2 and CH4 dynamics of Alaskan ecosystems during the Holocene Thermal Maximum
Below are partners associated with this project.
- Overview
Wetlands accumulate organic-rich sediment or peat stratigraphically, making them great archives of past environmental change. Wetlands also act as hydrologic buffers on the landscape and are important to global biogeochemical cycling. This project uses wetland archives from a range of environments to better understand how vegetation, hydrology, and hydroclimate has changed on decadal to multi-millennial timescales, and how wetlands have responded to past perturbations, such as fire, sea-level rise, and permafrost degradation. We use a multi-proxy approach that includes pollen, plant macrofossils, stable isotope analysis, and radiometric dating. Study sites range from Florida and the Atlantic Coastal Plain to Alaska.
Project Lead: Miriam Jones
Project Team: Kristen Hoefke, Diana Carriker, Bailey Nash
Sea-level rise
Wetlands protect coastlines from sea-level rise, but wetland archives can also elucidate past change in rates and the responses of these coastal systems to those changes. By closely examining the layers laid down by wetland sediments and peat, we can use a combination of physical properties and radiometric dating to examine past rates of sea-level rise, while pollen, plant macrofossils, and stable isotopes, can provide insights into the depositional environment at the time of deposition. This project is currently examining Holocene rates of sea-level rise and mechanisms for inundation of formerly terrestrial environments in Florida Bay. We are also examining how tidal freshwater wetlands along the Atlantic Coastal Plain have shifted over the Holocene in response to changing rates of sea-level rise and the resilience of these riparian wetlands in the future.
Permafrost thaw
Permafrost, or permanently frozen ground, underlies vast swaths of the boreal and arctic zones. With thaw accelerating under current warming, wholesale ecological and hydrological changes are occurring, putting wildlife and infrastructure at risk. In permafrost peatlands, ice-rich permafrost thaw causes subsidence that can transform forested peatlands to wet herb and moss peatlands, resulting in large changes not only in the structure and function of these systems, but also in biogeochemical cycling. This project is examining the nature and rate of both permafrost aggradation and degradation on Holocene timescales to better understand trajectories of vegetation change and biogeochemical change upon thaw. Study sites include boreal peatlands in the discontinuous and sporadic permafrost zones of Alaska.
Land-use change
Human evidence of land-use change can be picked up to varying degrees in wetland records. In some cases, modifications are deliberate, such as ditching and draining of wetlands for harvesting of natural resources. In other cases, transformations to the larger landscape result in changes to neighboring wetlands and waterways, such as colonial land clearance that resulted in a large pulse of terrestrial sediment into riparian and coastal wetlands. This study is examining how a range of land-use changes have altered wetlands on decadal to centennial timescales, while also placing these changes into the greater context of natural variability by examining centennial to millennial-scale shifts. This project helps identify markers and impacts of land-use change and can also aid decision-makers and land managers plan for land restoration. Study sites include the Great Dismal Swamp, VA and tidal rivers on the Atlantic Coastal Plain.
Hydroclimate variability
Examining the range of hydroclimate variability from Holocene records can help contextualize recent observations. In some cases, hydroclimate variability is linked to long-term modes of climate variability, which can be linked to precipitation extremes and fisheries productivity. This study is examining Holocene hydroclimate variability using oxygen isotopes derived from peat cellulose across a the northern Gulf of Alaska and the Bering Sea to examine the timing and linkages to Aleutian Low variability and its connection to sea ice extent, ocean and atmosphere circulation, and teleconnections with northern hemisphere climate phenomena, such as El Nino Southern Oscillation, Arctic Oscillation, and the Pacific Decadal Oscillation.
- Science
Below are other science projects associated with this project.
- Multimedia
Below are multimedia items associated with this project.
FBGC Quaternary Wetlands and Permafrost ResearchThis video explains how scientists from the Florence Bascom Geoscience Center research paleo-environmental wetland conditions and explain how studying these environments is valuable to better understand past changes and responses to disturbance, such as fire, sea-level rise
This video explains how scientists from the Florence Bascom Geoscience Center research paleo-environmental wetland conditions and explain how studying these environments is valuable to better understand past changes and responses to disturbance, such as fire, sea-level rise
FBGC Quaternary Wetlands and Permafrost Research (AD)FBGC Quaternary Wetlands and Permafrost Research (AD)FBGC Quaternary Wetlands and Permafrost Research (AD)This video explains how scientists from the Florence Bascom Geoscience Center research paleo-environmental wetland conditions and explain how studying these environments is valuable to better understand past changes and responses to disturbance, such as fire, sea-level rise, and perm
This video explains how scientists from the Florence Bascom Geoscience Center research paleo-environmental wetland conditions and explain how studying these environments is valuable to better understand past changes and responses to disturbance, such as fire, sea-level rise, and perm
Collecting Cores in Thawing Permafrost, AlaskaCores were collected from various areas of thawing permafrost-peatlands in Alaska. Permafrost thaw results in ground subsidence and inundation that kills black spruce and other understory plants living on the permafrost plateau.
Cores were collected from various areas of thawing permafrost-peatlands in Alaska. Permafrost thaw results in ground subsidence and inundation that kills black spruce and other understory plants living on the permafrost plateau.
Collecting Cores in Thawing Permafrost, AlaskaCores were collected from various areas of thawing permafrost-peatlands in Alaska. Permafrost thaw results in ground subsidence and inundation that kills black spruce and other understory plants living on the permafrost plateau.
Cores were collected from various areas of thawing permafrost-peatlands in Alaska. Permafrost thaw results in ground subsidence and inundation that kills black spruce and other understory plants living on the permafrost plateau.
Coring on Lake DrummondMichael Toomey, Jessica Rodysill, and Tom Sheehan collect sediment cores from Lake Drummond, located within the Great Dismal Swamp. The cores were obtained using a vibracore, which was mounted on a platform between two canoes.
Michael Toomey, Jessica Rodysill, and Tom Sheehan collect sediment cores from Lake Drummond, located within the Great Dismal Swamp. The cores were obtained using a vibracore, which was mounted on a platform between two canoes.
Great Dismal Swamp, Lake DrummondPhotograph of Lake Drummond, which is located within the Great Dismal Swamp in Virginia. USGS scientists recently collected peat and lake core samples from the swamp to help reconstruct natural environmental conditions over the past 12,000 years.
Photograph of Lake Drummond, which is located within the Great Dismal Swamp in Virginia. USGS scientists recently collected peat and lake core samples from the swamp to help reconstruct natural environmental conditions over the past 12,000 years.
Great Dismal Swamp, 2018Photograph of the Great Dismal Swamp in Virginia several years after the 2011 fire. USGS scientists recently collected peat and lake core samples from the swamp to help reconstruct natural environmental conditions over the past 12,000 years.
Photograph of the Great Dismal Swamp in Virginia several years after the 2011 fire. USGS scientists recently collected peat and lake core samples from the swamp to help reconstruct natural environmental conditions over the past 12,000 years.
Thawing Peatlands, AlaskaCores were collected from various areas of thawing permafrost-peatlands in Alaska. Permafrost thaw results in ground subsidence and inundation that kills black spruce and other understory plants living on the permafrost plateau.
Cores were collected from various areas of thawing permafrost-peatlands in Alaska. Permafrost thaw results in ground subsidence and inundation that kills black spruce and other understory plants living on the permafrost plateau.
Great Dismal Swamp Burn Area, March 2017USGS scientists recently collected peat and lake core samples from the swamp to help reconstruct natural, environmental conditions over the past 12,000 years.
USGS scientists recently collected peat and lake core samples from the swamp to help reconstruct natural, environmental conditions over the past 12,000 years.
Great Dismal Swamp, March 2017Centuries of ditching, draining and harvesting resources have greatly altered the Great Dismal Swamp in Virginia.
Centuries of ditching, draining and harvesting resources have greatly altered the Great Dismal Swamp in Virginia.
- Publications
Below are publications associated with this project.
Filter Total Items: 18The role of the upper tidal estuary in wetland blue carbon storage and flux
Carbon (C) standing stocks, C mass balance, and soil C burial in tidal freshwater forested wetlands (TFFW) and TFFW transitioning to low‐salinity marshes along the upper estuary are not typically included in “blue carbon” accounting, but may represent a significant C sink. Results from two salinity transects along the tidal Waccamaw and Savannah rivers of the US Atlantic Coast show total C standinAuthorsKen W. Krauss, Gregory B. Noe, Jamie A. Duberstein, William H. Conner, Camille L. Stagg, Nicole Cormier, Miriam C. Jones, Christopher E. Bernhardt, B. Graeme Lockaby, Andrew S. From, Thomas W. Doyle, Richard H. Day, Scott H. Ensign, Katherine N. Pierfelice, Cliff R. Hupp, Alex T. Chow, Julie L. WhitbeckA North American Hydroclimate Synthesis (NAHS) of the Common Era
This study presents a synthesis of century-scale hydroclimate variations in North America for the Common Era (last 2000 years) using new age models of previously published multiple proxy-based paleoclimate data. This North American Hydroclimate Synthesis (NAHS) examines regional hydroclimate patterns and related environmental indicators, including vegetation, lake water elevation, stream flow andAuthorsJessica R. Rodysill, Lesleigh Anderson, Thomas M. Cronin, Miriam C. Jones, Robert S. Thompson, David B. Wahl, Debra A. Willard, Jason A. Addison, Jay R. Alder, Katherine H. Anderson, Lysanna Anderson, John A. Barron, Christopher E. Bernhardt, Steven W. Hostetler, Natalie M. Kehrwald, Nicole Khan, Julie N. Richey, Scott W. Starratt, Laura E. Strickland, Michael Toomey, Claire C. Treat, G. Lynn WingardByWater Resources Mission Area, Climate Research and Development Program, Energy Resources Program, Groundwater and Streamflow Information Program, Mineral Resources Program, National Laboratories Program, Science and Decisions Center, Florence Bascom Geoscience Center, Geology, Minerals, Energy, and Geophysics Science Center, Geosciences and Environmental Change Science Center, St. Petersburg Coastal and Marine Science CenterRapid carbon loss and slow recovery following permafrost thaw in boreal peatlands
Permafrost peatlands store one-third of the total carbon (C) in the atmosphere and are increasingly vulnerable to thaw as high-latitude temperatures warm. Large uncertainties remain about C dynamics following permafrost thaw in boreal peatlands. We used a chronosequence approach to measure C stocks in forested permafrost plateaus (forest) and thawed permafrost bogs, ranging in thaw age from youngAuthorsMiriam C. Jones, Jennifer W. Harden, Jonathan A. O'Donnell, Kristen L. Manies, Torre Jorgenson, Claire C. Treat, Stephanie EwingSoil data for a thermokarst bog and the surrounding permafrost plateau forest, located at Bonanza Creek Long Term Ecological Research Site, Interior Alaska
Peatlands play an important role in boreal ecosystems, storing a large amount of soil organic carbon. In northern ecosystems, collapse-scar bogs (also known as thermokarst bogs) often form as the result of ground subsidence following permafrost thaw. To examine how ecosystem carbon balance changes with the loss of permafrost, we measured carbon and nitrogen storage within a thermokarst bog and theAuthorsKristen L. Manies, Christopher C. Fuller, Miriam C. Jones, Mark P. Waldrop, John P. McGeehinHolocene climate changes in eastern Beringia (NW North America) – A systematic review of multi-proxy evidence
Reconstructing climates of the past relies on a variety of evidence from a large number of sites to capture the varied features of climate and the spatial heterogeneity of climate change. This review summarizes available information from diverse Holocene paleoenvironmental records across eastern Beringia (Alaska, westernmost Canada and adjacent seas), and it quantifies the primary trends of temperAuthorsDarrell S. Kaufman, Yarrow L. Axford, Andrew C.G. Henderson, Nicolas P. McKay, W. Wyatt Oswald, Casey Saenger, R. Scott Anderson, Hannah L. Bailey, Benjamin Clegg, Konrad Gajewski, Feng Sheng Hu, Miriam C. Jones, Charly Massa, Cody C. Routson, Al Werner, Matthew J. Wooller, Zicheng YuPresence of rapidly degrading permafrost plateaus in south-central Alaska
Permafrost presence is determined by a complex interaction of climatic, topographic, and ecological conditions operating over long time scales. In particular, vegetation and organic layer characteristics may act to protect permafrost in regions with a mean annual air temperature (MAAT) above 0 °C. In this study, we document the presence of residual permafrost plateaus in the western Kenai PeninsulAuthorsBenjamin M. Jones, Carson Baughman, Vladimir E. Romanovsky, Andrew D. Parsekian, Esther Babcock, Eva Stephani, Miriam C. Jones, Guido Grosse, Edward E BergEffects of permafrost aggradation on peat properties as determined from a pan-Arctic synthesis of plant macrofossils
Permafrost dynamics play an important role in high-latitude peatland carbon balance and are key to understanding the future response of soil carbon stocks. Permafrost aggradation can control the magnitude of the carbon feedback in peatlands through effects on peat properties. We compiled peatland plant macrofossil records for the northern permafrost zone (515 cores from 280 sites) and classified sAuthorsClaire C. Treat, Miriam C. Jones, P. Camill, A. Gallego-Sala, M. Garneau, Jennifer W. Harden, G. Hugelius, E.S. Klein, Ulla Kokfelt, P. Kuhry, Julie Loisel, J.H. Mathijssen, J.A. O'Donnell, P.O. Oksanen, T.M. Ronkainen, A. B. K. Sannel, J. J. Talbot, C.M. Tarnocal, M. ValirantaThermokarst lake methanogenesis along a complete talik profile
Thermokarst (thaw) lakes emit methane (CH4) to the atmosphere formed from thawed permafrost organic matter (OM), but the relative magnitude of CH4 production in surface lake sediments vs. deeper thawed permafrost horizons is not well understood. We assessed anaerobic CH4 production potentials from various depths along a 590 cm long lake sediment core that captured the entire sediment package of thAuthorsJ.K. Heslop, K.M. Walter Anthony, A. Sepulveda-Jauregui, K. Martinez-Cruz, A. Bondurant, G. Grosse, Miriam C. JonesA shift of thermokarst lakes from carbon sources to sinks during the Holocene epoch
Thermokarst lakes formed across vast regions of Siberia and Alaska during the last deglaciation and are thought to be a net source of atmospheric methane and carbon dioxide during the Holocene epoch1,2,3,4. However, the same thermokarst lakes can also sequester carbon5, and it remains uncertain whether carbon uptake by thermokarst lakes can offset their greenhouse gas emissions. Here we use fieldAuthorsK. M. Walter Anthony, S. A. Zimov, G. Grosse, Miriam C. Jones, P. Anthony, F. S. Chapin, J. C. Finlay, M. C. Mack, S. Davydov, P. F. Frenzel, S. FrolkingLate Holocene vegetation, climate, and land-use impacts on carbon dynamics in the Florida Everglades
Tropical and subtropical peatlands are considered a significant carbon sink. The Florida Everglades includes 6000-km2 of peat-accumulating wetland; however, detailed carbon dynamics from different environments within the Everglades have not been extensively studied or compared. Here we present carbon accumulation rates from 13 cores and 4 different environments, including sawgrass ridges and slougAuthorsMiriam C. Jones, Christopher E. Bernhardt, Debra A. WillardA deglacial and Holocene record of climate variability in south-central Alaska from stable oxygen isotopes and plant macrofossils in peat
We used stable oxygen isotopes derived from bulk peat (δ18OTOM), in conjunction with plant macrofossils and previously published carbon accumulation records, in a ∼14,500 cal yr BP peat core (HT Fen) from the Kenai lowlands in south-central Alaska to reconstruct the climate history of the area. We find that patterns are broadly consistent with those from lacustrine records across the region, and aAuthorsMiriam C. Jones, Matthew J. Wooller, Dorothy M. PeteetEvaluating CO2 and CH4 dynamics of Alaskan ecosystems during the Holocene Thermal Maximum
The Arctic has experienced much greater warming than the global average in recent decades due to polar amplification. Warming has induced ecological changes that have impacted climate carbon-cycle feedbacks, making it important to understand the climate and vegetation controls on carbon (C) dynamics. Here we used the Holocene Thermal Maximum (HTM, 11–9 ka BP, 1 ka BP = 1000 cal yr before present)AuthorsYujie He, Miriam C. Jones, Qianlai Zhuang, Christopher Bochicchio, B. S. Felzer, Erik Mason, Zicheng Yu - Partners
Below are partners associated with this project.