USGS researchers Jack McFarland and Kristen Manies taking permafrost cores to study the carbon cycle in Interior Alaska.
Mark P Waldrop, Ph.D.
Mark's research expertise is in soil microbial ecology and biogeochemistry in response to global change phenomenon. He leads a team focused on studies of microbial, chemical, and biophysical controls on carbon cycling in permafrost, boreal, and wetland ecosystems of Alaska as well as forest and grassland ecosystems of the Western U.S.
Synergistic Activities
USGS Menlo Park Science Advisory Council Member
US Permafrost Association President
Affiliate/Graduate Faculty, University of Alaska Fairbanks & University of Guelph
Bonanza Creek LTER and Alaska Peatland Experiment (APEX), Principal Investigator
International Soil Carbon Network (NSCN) member
Integrated Ecosystem Model data contributor, AK Climate Science Center
Permafrost Research Coordination Network contributor
Environmental Microbiome Project (EMP) member
North American Carbon Program (NACP), affiliated project lead
Professional Experience
2013- current Project Chief, Mechanisms of Soil Carbon Sequestration
2007- current Research Soil Scientist, USGS, Menlo Park, CA.
2005-2007 Mendenhall Research Fellow, USGS, Menlo Park, CA.
2002-2004 Postdoctoral Fellow, The University of Michigan
Education and Certifications
2002-University of California at Berkeley, Ph.D., Soil Science
1997-University of California at Berkeley, M.S., Soil Science
1995-New Mexico State Univ, B.S. Biology/Ecology, and B.S. Soil Science
Science and Products
Below are Mark's related science projects
Response of plant, microbial, and soil functions to drought and fire in California
Understanding Impacts of Sea-Level Rise and Land Management on Critical Coastal Marsh Habitat
Arctic Biogeochemical Response to Permafrost Thaw (ABRUPT)
Understanding Impacts of Sea-Level Rise and Land Management on Critical Coastal Marsh Habitat
Next Generation of Ecological Indicators: Defining Which Microbial Properties Matter Most to Ecosystem Function and How to Measure Them
Understanding the Impacts of Permafrost Change: Providing Input into the Alaska Integrated Ecosystem Model
Plant, soil, and microbial characteristics of marsh collapse in Mississippi River Deltaic wetlands
Depth to frozen soil measurements at APEX, 2008-2023
Depth to frozen soil measurements taken by a variety of collaborators at the Alaskan Peatland EXeriment (APEX) bog/permafrost plateau site. Data is from 2018 - 2023.
Panarctic permafrost microbial community and edaphic data collected from 2010-2020
Soil and Vegetation Data from Lake-Margin Wetlands in the Yukon Flats National Wildlife Refuge
Spatiotemporal dynamics of soil carbon following coastal wetland loss at a Louisiana coastal salt marsh in the Mississippi River Deltaic Plain in 2019
Permafrost greenhouse gas and microbial data from the Alaska Peatland Experiment (APEX) 2017 to 2019
Permafrost characterization at the Alaska Peatland Experiment (APEX) site: Geophysical and related field data collected from 2018-2020
Flux and Soil Data from the Alaska Peatland Experiment 2014 to 2016
Microbial Carbon and Nitrogen Metabolism Across a Late Pleistocene Permafrost Chronosequence
Permafrost Mapping in Two Wetland Systems North of the Tanana River in Interior Alaska 2014
Batch sorption data, respired CO2, extractable DOC, and Raman spectra collected from an incubation with microbial necromass on feldspar or amorphous aluminum hydroxide
Dissolved organic carbon and nitrogen release from boreal Holocene permafrost and seasonally frozen soils of Alaska
USGS researchers Jack McFarland and Kristen Manies taking permafrost cores to study the carbon cycle in Interior Alaska.
Below are Mark's related publication
Vegetation loss following vertical drowning of Mississippi River deltaic wetlands leads to faster microbial decomposition and decreases in soil carbon
Practical guide to measuring wetland carbon pools and fluxes
Wetlands cover a small portion of the world, but have disproportionate influence on global carbon (C) sequestration, carbon dioxide and methane emissions, and aquatic C fluxes. However, the underlying biogeochemical processes that affect wetland C pools and fluxes are complex and dynamic, making measurements of wetland C challenging. Over decades of research, many observational, experimental, and
Permafrost microbial communities and functional genes are structured by latitudinal and soil geochemical gradients
Microbiome assembly in thawing permafrost and its feedbacks to climate
A model of the spatiotemporal dynamics of soil carbon following coastal wetland loss applied to a Louisiana salt marsh in the Mississippi River Deltaic Plain
Mechanisms for retention of low molecular weight organic carbon varies with soil depth at a coastal prairie ecosystem
Influence of permafrost type and site history on losses of permafrost carbon after thaw
Emergent biogeochemical risks from Arctic permafrost degradation
The biophysical role of water and ice within permafrost nearing collapse: Insights from novel geophysical observations
Carbon fluxes and microbial activities from boreal peatlands experiencing permafrost thaw
USGS permafrost research determines the risks of permafrost thaw to biologic and hydrologic resources
Permafrost mapping with electrical resistivity tomography in two wetland systems north of the Tanana River, Interior Alaska
Science and Products
- Science
Below are Mark's related science projects
Response of plant, microbial, and soil functions to drought and fire in California
California is experiencing changes in precipitation and wildfire regimes. Longer, hotter fire seasons along with extremes in precipitation are expected to continue. Not only do these disturbances affect the productivity and resilience of ecosystems, they also directly impact human health and wellbeing. Soils hold an immense amount of our terrestrial carbon pool, and the microorganisms and minerals...Understanding Impacts of Sea-Level Rise and Land Management on Critical Coastal Marsh Habitat
To ensure successful restoration of coastal wetlands, WARC researchers will measure carbon cycling processes that indicate ecosystem health and sustainability.Arctic Biogeochemical Response to Permafrost Thaw (ABRUPT)
Warming and thawing of permafrost soils in the Arctic is expected to become widespread over the coming decades. Permafrost thaw changes ecosystem structure and function, affects resource availability for wildlife and society, and decreases ground stability which affects human infrastructure. Since permafrost soils contain about half of the global soil carbon (C) pool, the magnitude of C losses...Understanding Impacts of Sea-Level Rise and Land Management on Critical Coastal Marsh Habitat
The Science Issue and Relevance: Coastal wetlands are some of the most productive and valuable habitats in the world. Louisiana contains 40% of the United States’ coastal wetlands, which provide critical habitat for waterfowl and fisheries, as well as many other benefits, such as storm surge protection for coastal communities. In terms of ecosystem services, biological resource production, and infNext Generation of Ecological Indicators: Defining Which Microbial Properties Matter Most to Ecosystem Function and How to Measure Them
While it is widely recognized that microorganisms are intimately linked with every biogeochemical cycle in all ecosystems, it is not clear how and when microbial dynamics constrain ecosystem processes. As a result, it is know clear how to apply the value of increasingly detailed characterization of microbial properties to our understanding of ecosystem ecology. Several recent papers have demonstraUnderstanding the Impacts of Permafrost Change: Providing Input into the Alaska Integrated Ecosystem Model
Ongoing climate change has the potential to negatively impact Alaska’s ecosystems and the critical services that they provide. These ecosystem services include supplying food and fiber for Alaskan communities, offering opportunities for recreational, cultural, and spiritual activities, and regulating temperature and water flow (runoff, flooding, etc.). Scientists build models to better understan - Data
Plant, soil, and microbial characteristics of marsh collapse in Mississippi River Deltaic wetlands
Site, field, and soil data collected from 14 sites along a chronosequence of wetland submergence on 15 – 17 October 2019 in a Louisiana salt marsh in Barataria Basin, part of the Mississippi River Deltaic Plain, along the northern Gulf of Mexico coast.Depth to frozen soil measurements at APEX, 2008-2023
Depth to frozen soil measurements taken by a variety of collaborators at the Alaskan Peatland EXeriment (APEX) bog/permafrost plateau site. Data is from 2018 - 2023.
Panarctic permafrost microbial community and edaphic data collected from 2010-2020
The datasets contained herein include permafrost microbial community taxanomic and functional information using metagenomics from 133 samples across the panarctic. Datasets also include soil edaphic and location data.Soil and Vegetation Data from Lake-Margin Wetlands in the Yukon Flats National Wildlife Refuge
This data release provides seven datasets of soil and vegetation data from lake margin soils from throughout the Yukon Flats National Wildlife Refuge. Data includes multiple lakes that are defined as either stable or drying. Lake margin vegetation communities include graminoid, shrub, and forest. Sols are separated into organic and mineral layers. Microbial data includes different phospholipid fatSpatiotemporal dynamics of soil carbon following coastal wetland loss at a Louisiana coastal salt marsh in the Mississippi River Deltaic Plain in 2019
This dataset provides the water content, bulk density, carbon concentrations, nitrogen concentrations, and carbon content of all fourteen cores sampled in coastal Louisiana (CRMS 0224) in October of 2019. Each sample is identified by a unique identifier that corresponds to each site by depth increment combination. The pond age range associated with each site is provided. The depth increment associPermafrost greenhouse gas and microbial data from the Alaska Peatland Experiment (APEX) 2017 to 2019
These data include permafrost gas concentration data from the Alaska Peatland Experiment at various depths, times, and locationsPermafrost characterization at the Alaska Peatland Experiment (APEX) site: Geophysical and related field data collected from 2018-2020
Geophysical measurements and related field data were collected by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) at the Alaska Peatland Experiment (APEX) site in Interior Alaska from 2018 to 2020 to characterize subsurface thermal and hydrologic conditions along a permafrost thaw gradient. The APEX site is managed by the Bonanza Creek LTER (Long Term Ecological Research). In April 2018, seven boreholes were emFlux and Soil Data from the Alaska Peatland Experiment 2014 to 2016
This dataset supports a published study on the effects of permafrost thaw on greenhouse gas fluxes and microbial activities at the Alaska Peatland Experiment (APEX), part of the Bonanza Creek LTER, in interior Alaska. The dataset includes autochamber CO2 and CH4 fluxes, net ecosystem exchange, ecosystem respiration, soil temperatures, climate data, microbial qPCR data, soil physical chemistry, soiMicrobial Carbon and Nitrogen Metabolism Across a Late Pleistocene Permafrost Chronosequence
This data release includes all of the data presented in the peer-reviewed publication "Life at the frozen limit: Microbial Carbon Metabolism Across a Late Pleistocene Permafrost Chronosequence". We collected permafrost from a Pleistocene chronosequence (19 ka to 33 ka) to examine (1) changes in the functional genetic potential of extant microbial communities to metabolize polysaccharides, (2) shifPermafrost Mapping in Two Wetland Systems North of the Tanana River in Interior Alaska 2014
Surface-based 2D electrical resistivity tomography (ERT) surveys were used to investigate the distribution of permafrost at wetland sites on the alluvial plain north of the Tanana River, 20 km southwest of Fairbanks, Alaska, in June and September 2014. The sites contained habitat types characteristic of interior Alaska, including thermokarst bog, forested permafrost plateau, and a rich fen. TheseBatch sorption data, respired CO2, extractable DOC, and Raman spectra collected from an incubation with microbial necromass on feldspar or amorphous aluminum hydroxide
These datasets are from an incubation experiment with a combination of two minerals (feldspar or amorphous aluminum hydroxide), one living species of bacteria (Escherichia coli), and one added form of C (Arthrobacter crystallopoietes necromass). We characterized the sorptive properties of the minerals with batch sorption experiments using four low molecular weight C substrates (glucose, oxalic aciDissolved organic carbon and nitrogen release from boreal Holocene permafrost and seasonally frozen soils of Alaska
Permafrost (perennially frozen) and active-layer (seasonally thawed) soils varying in soil carbon (C) and nitrogen (N) content and radiocarbon age were collected from three sites in interior Alaska to determine potential release of dissolved organic carbon (DOC), total dissolved N (TDN), dissolved organic nitrogen (DON), and dissolved inorganic nitrogen (DIN) upon thaw. Soil cores were cut into 15 - Multimedia
Scientists Collecting Permafrost Cores
USGS researchers Jack McFarland and Kristen Manies taking permafrost cores to study the carbon cycle in Interior Alaska.
USGS researchers Jack McFarland and Kristen Manies taking permafrost cores to study the carbon cycle in Interior Alaska.
- Publications
Below are Mark's related publication
Filter Total Items: 54Vegetation loss following vertical drowning of Mississippi River deltaic wetlands leads to faster microbial decomposition and decreases in soil carbon
Wetland ecosystems hold nearly a third of the global soil carbon pool, but as wetlands rapidly disappear the fate of this stored soil carbon is unclear. The aim of this study was to quantify and then link potential rates of microbial decomposition after vertical drowning of vegetated tidal marshes in coastal Louisiana to known drivers of anaerobic decomposition altered by vegetation loss. ProfilesAuthorsCourtney Creamer, Mark Waldrop, Camille Stagg, Kristen L. Manies, Melissa Millman Baustian, Claudia Laurenzano, Tiong Gim Aw, Monica Haw, Sergio Merino, Donald R. Schoolmaster, Sabrina N. Sevilgen, Rachel Katherine Villani, Eric WardPractical guide to measuring wetland carbon pools and fluxes
Wetlands cover a small portion of the world, but have disproportionate influence on global carbon (C) sequestration, carbon dioxide and methane emissions, and aquatic C fluxes. However, the underlying biogeochemical processes that affect wetland C pools and fluxes are complex and dynamic, making measurements of wetland C challenging. Over decades of research, many observational, experimental, and
AuthorsSheel Bansal, Irena F. Creed, Brian Tangen, Scott D. Bridgham, Ankur R. Desai, Ken Krauss, Scott C Neubauer, Gregory B. Noe, Donald O. Rosenberry, Carl C. Trettin, Kimberly Wickland, Scott T. Allen, Ariane Arias-Ortiz, Anna R. Armitage, Dennis Baldocchi, Kakoli Banerjee, David Bastviken, Peter Berg, Matthew J. Bogard, Alex T. Chow, William H. Conner, Christopher Craft, Courtney Creamer, Tonya Delsontro, Jamie Duberstein, Meagan J. Eagle, M. Siobhan Fennessey, Sarah A. Finkelstein, Mathias Goeckede, Sabine Grunwald, Meghan Halibisky, Ellen R. Herbert, Mohammad Jahangir, Olivia Johnson, Miriam C. Jones, Jeffrey Kelleway, Sarah Knox, Kevin D. Kroeger, Kevin Kuehn, David Lobb, Amanda Loder, Shizhou Ma, Damien Maher, Gavin McNicol, Jacob Meier, Beth A. Middleton, Christopher T. Mills, Purbasha Mistry, Abhijith Mitra, Courtney Mobilian, Amanda M. Nahlik, Sue Newman, Jessica O'Connell, Patty Oikawa, Max Post van der Burg, Charles A Schutte, Chanchung Song, Camille Stagg, Jessica Turner, Rodrigo Vargas, Mark Waldrop, Markus Wallin, Zhaohui Aleck Wang, Eric Ward, Debra A. Willard, Stephanie A. Yarwood, Xiaoyan ZhuByEcosystems Mission Area, Water Resources Mission Area, Florence Bascom Geoscience Center, Geology, Minerals, Energy, and Geophysics Science Center, Geosciences and Environmental Change Science Center, Northern Prairie Wildlife Research Center, Wetland and Aquatic Research Center , Woods Hole Coastal and Marine Science CenterPermafrost microbial communities and functional genes are structured by latitudinal and soil geochemical gradients
Permafrost underlies approximately one quarter of Northern Hemisphere terrestrial surfaces and contains 25–50% of the global soil carbon (C) pool. Permafrost soils and the C stocks within are vulnerable to ongoing and future projected climate warming. The biogeography of microbial communities inhabiting permafrost has not been examined beyond a small number of sites focused on local-scale variatioAuthorsMark Waldrop, Chris Chabot, Susanne Liebner, Sheila Holmes, Marcia Snyder, Martin L. Dillon, S Dudgeon, Thomas A. Douglas, Mary-Catherine Leewis, Katie M Walter- Anthony, Jack McFarland, Christopher D. Arp, Allen C. Bondurant, Neslihan Taş, Rachel MackelprangMicrobiome assembly in thawing permafrost and its feedbacks to climate
The physical and chemical changes that accompany permafrost thaw directly influence the microbial communities that mediate the decomposition of formerly frozen organic matter, leading to uncertainty in permafrost–climate feedbacks. Although changes to microbial metabolism and community structure are documented following thaw, the generality of post-thaw assembly patterns across permafrost soils ofAuthorsJessica G. Ernakovich, Robyn A. Barbato, Virginia Rich, Christina Schädel, Rebecca E. Hewitt, Stacey Doherty, Emily Whalen, Benjamin Abbott, Jiri Barta, Christina Biasi, Chris Chabot, Jenni Hultman, Christian Knoblauch, Maggie Chui Yim Lau Vetter, Mary-Cathrine Leewis, Susanne Liebner, Rachel Mackelprang, Tullis Onstott, Andreas Richter, Ursel M. E. Schütte, Henri Siljanen, Neslihan Taş, Ina Timling, Tatiana Vishnivetskaya, Mark Waldrop, Matthias WinkelA model of the spatiotemporal dynamics of soil carbon following coastal wetland loss applied to a Louisiana salt marsh in the Mississippi River Deltaic Plain
The potential for carbon sequestration in coastal wetlands is high due to protection of carbon (C) in flooded soils. However, excessive flooding can result in the conversion of the vegetated wetland to open water. This transition results in the loss of wetland habitat in addition to the potential loss of soil carbon. Thus, in areas experiencing rapid wetland submergence, such as the Mississippi RiAuthorsDonald R. Schoolmaster, Camille Stagg, Courtney Creamer, Claudia Laurenzano, Eric Ward, Mark Waldrop, Melissa M. Baustian, Tiong Aw, Sergio Merino, Rachel Katherine Villani, Laura ScottMechanisms for retention of low molecular weight organic carbon varies with soil depth at a coastal prairie ecosystem
Though primary sources of carbon (C) to soil are plant inputs (e.g., rhizodeposits), the role of microorganisms as mediators of soil organic carbon (SOC) retention is increasingly recognized. Yet, insufficient knowledge of sub-soil processes complicates attempts to describe microbial-driven C cycling at depth as most studies of microbial-mineral-C interactions focus on surface horizons. We leveragAuthorsJack McFarland, Corey Lawrence, Courtney Creamer, Marjorie S. Schulz, Christopher H. Conaway, Sara Peek, Mark Waldrop, Sabrina N. Sevilgen, Monica HawInfluence of permafrost type and site history on losses of permafrost carbon after thaw
We quantified permafrost peat plateau and post-thaw carbon (C) stocks across a chronosequence in Interior Alaska to evaluate the amount of C lost with thaw. Macrofossil reconstructions revealed three stratigraphic layers of peat: (1) a base layer of fen/marsh peat, (2) peat from a forested peat plateau (with permafrost) and, (3) collapse-scar bog peat (at sites where permafrost thaw has occurred).AuthorsKristen L. Manies, Miriam C. Jones, Mark Waldrop, Mary-Catherine Leewis, Christopher C. Fuller, Robert S. Cornman, Kristen HoefkeEmergent biogeochemical risks from Arctic permafrost degradation
The Arctic cryosphere is collapsing, posing overlapping environmental risks. In particular, thawing permafrost threatens to release biological, chemical and radioactive materials that have been sequestered for tens to hundreds of thousands of years. As these constituents re-enter the environment, they have the potential to disrupt ecosystem function, reduce the populations of unique Arctic wildlifAuthorsKimberly Miner, Rachel Mackelprang, Juliana D’Andrilli, Arwyn Edwards, Michael J. Malaska, Mark P. Waldrop, Charles E. MillerThe biophysical role of water and ice within permafrost nearing collapse: Insights from novel geophysical observations
The impact of permafrost thaw on hydrologic, thermal, and biotic processes remains uncertain, in part due to limitations in subsurface measurement capabilities. To better understand subsurface processes in thermokarst environments, we collocated geophysical and biogeochemical instruments along a thaw gradient between forested permafrost and collapse-scar bogs at the Alaska Peatland Experiment (APEAuthorsStephanie R. James, Burke J. Minsley, Jack McFarland, Eugenie S. Euskirchen, Colin W. Edgar, Mark WaldropCarbon fluxes and microbial activities from boreal peatlands experiencing permafrost thaw
Permafrost thaw in northern ecosystems may cause large quantities of carbon (C) to move from soil to atmospheric pools. Because soil microbial communities play a critical role in regulating C fluxes from soils, we examined microbial activity and greenhouse gas production soon after permafrost thaw and ground collapse (into collapse-scar bogs), relative to the permafrost plateau or older thaw featuAuthorsMark Waldrop, Jack McFarland, Kristen L. Manies, Mary-Cathrine Leewis, Steve Blazewicz, Miriam C. Jones, Rebecca Neumann, Jason Keller, Rachel Cohen, Eugenie S. Euskirchen, Colin W. Edgar, Merritt R. Turetsky, William CableUSGS permafrost research determines the risks of permafrost thaw to biologic and hydrologic resources
The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), in collaboration with university, Federal, Tribal, and independent partners, conducts fundamental research on the distribution, vulnerability, and importance of permafrost in arctic and boreal ecosystems. Scientists, land managers, and policy makers use USGS data to help make decisions for development, wildlife habitat, and other needs. Native villages and citiesAuthorsMark P. Waldrop, Lesleigh Anderson, Mark Dornblaser, Li H. Erikson, Ann E. Gibbs, Nicole M. Herman-Mercer, Stephanie R. James, Miriam C. Jones, Joshua C. Koch, Mary-Cathrine Leewis, Kristen L. Manies, Burke J. Minsley, Neal J. Pastick, Vijay Patil, Frank Urban, Michelle A. Walvoord, Kimberly P. Wickland, Christian ZimmermanByNatural Hazards Mission Area, Water Resources Mission Area, Climate Research and Development Program, Coastal and Marine Hazards and Resources Program, Land Change Science Program, Volcano Hazards Program, Earth Resources Observation and Science (EROS) Center , Geology, Geophysics, and Geochemistry Science Center, Geology, Minerals, Energy, and Geophysics Science Center, Geosciences and Environmental Change Science Center, Pacific Coastal and Marine Science Center, Volcano Science CenterPermafrost mapping with electrical resistivity tomography in two wetland systems north of the Tanana River, Interior Alaska
Surface-based 2D electrical resistivity tomography (ERT) surveys were used to characterize permafrost distribution at wetland sites on the alluvial plain north of the Tanana River, 20 km southwest of Fairbanks, Alaska, in June and September 2014. The sites were part of an ecologically-sensitive research area characterizing biogeochemical response of this region to warming and permafrost thaw, andAuthorsChristopher H. Conaway, Cordell Johnson, Thomas Lorenson, Merritt R. Turetsky, Eugénie S. Euskirchen, Mark Waldrop, Peter W. Swarzenski