Miriam Jones, Ph.D.
I use a range of proxies (plant macrofossils, pollen, charcoal, stable isotopes) to interpret landscape change over centennial to millennial timescales. Current topics include responses to abrupt permafrost thaw, sea-level rise, sea-ice retreat, and centennial-scale land-use change.
Education and Certifications
Columbia University, PhD, 2008
Columbia University, MPhil, 2006
Columbia University, M. A., 2005
Barnard College, A.B., 2002, Magna Cum Laude
Science and Products
Filter Total Items: 53
Near-surface permafrost aggradation in Northern Hemisphere peatlands shows regional and global trends during the past 6000 years Near-surface permafrost aggradation in Northern Hemisphere peatlands shows regional and global trends during the past 6000 years
The history of permafrost aggradation and thaw in northern peatlands can serve as an indicator of regional climatic history in regions where records are sparse. We infer regional trends in the timing of permafrost aggradation and thaw in North American and Eurasian peatland ecosystems based on plant macrofossils and peat properties using existing peat core records from more than 250...
Authors
Claire C. Treat, Miriam Jones
Rapid carbon loss and slow recovery following permafrost thaw in boreal peatlands Rapid 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...
Authors
Miriam C. Jones, Jennifer W. Harden, Jonathan A. O’Donnell, Kristen L. Manies, M. Torre Jorgenson, Claire C. Treat, Stephanie Ewing
Soil data for a thermokarst bog and the surrounding permafrost plateau forest, located at Bonanza Creek Long Term Ecological Research Site, Interior Alaska Soil 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...
Authors
Kristen L. Manies, Christopher C. Fuller, Miriam C. Jones, Mark P. Waldrop, John P. McGeehin
Holocene climate changes in eastern Beringia (NW North America) – A systematic review of multi-proxy evidence Holocene 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...
Authors
Darrell 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 Yu
Presence of rapidly degrading permafrost plateaus in south-central Alaska Presence 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...
Authors
Benjamin M. Jones, Carson Baughman, Vladimir E. Romanovsky, Andrew D. Parsekian, Esther Babcock, Eva Stephani, Miriam C. Jones, Guido Grosse, Edward E Berg
Effects of permafrost aggradation on peat properties as determined from a pan-Arctic synthesis of plant macrofossils Effects 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...
Authors
Claire 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. Valiranta
Thermokarst lake methanogenesis along a complete talik profile Thermokarst 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...
Authors
J.K. Heslop, K.M. Walter Anthony, A. Sepulveda-Jauregui, K. Martinez-Cruz, A. Bondurant, G. Grosse, Miriam C. Jones
A database and synthesis of northern peatland soil properties and Holocene carbon and nitrogen accumulation A database and synthesis of northern peatland soil properties and Holocene carbon and nitrogen accumulation
Here, we present results from the most comprehensive compilation of Holocene peat soil properties with associated carbon and nitrogen accumulation rates for northern peatlands. Our database consists of 268 peat cores from 215 sites located north of 45°N. It encompasses regions within which peat carbon data have only recently become available, such as the West Siberia Lowlands, the Hudson...
Authors
Rebecca A. Loiselle, Zicheng Yu, David Beilman, Philip Camill, Jukka Alm, Matthew Amesbury, David Anderson, Sofia Andersson, Christopher Bochicchio, Keith Barber, Lisa Belyea, Joan Bunbury, Frank M. Chambers, Dan Charman, Francois De Vleeschouwer, Barbara Fialkiawicz-Koziel, Sarah A Finkelstein, Mariusz Galka, Michelle Garneau, Dan Hammarlund, William Hinchcliffe, James Holmquist, Paul Hughes, Miriam C. Jones, Eric S. Klein, Ulla Kokfelt, Atte Korhola, Peter Kuhry, Alexandre Lamarre, Mariusz Lamentowicz, David Large, Martin Lavoie, Glen MacDonald, Gabriel Magnan, Markku Makila, Gunnar Mallon, Paul Mathijssen, Dmitri Mauquoy, Julia McCarroll, Tim R. Moore, Jonathan M. Nichols, Benjamin O’Reilly, P.O. Oksanen, Maara S. Packalen, Dorothy M. Peteet, Pierre Richard, Stephen Robinson, T.M. Ronkainen, Mats Rundgren, A. Britta K. Sannel, Charles Tarnocai, Tim Thom, Eeva-Stiina Tuittila, Merritt Turetsky, M. Valiranta, Marjolein van der Linden, Bas van Geel, Simon van Bellen, Dale Vitt, Yan Zhao, Weijian Zhou
A shift of thermokarst lakes from carbon sources to sinks during the Holocene epoch A 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...
Authors
K. 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. Frolking
Late Holocene vegetation, climate, and land-use impacts on carbon dynamics in the Florida Everglades Late 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...
Authors
Miriam C. Jones, Christopher E. Bernhardt, Debra A. Willard
A deglacial and Holocene record of climate variability in south-central Alaska from stable oxygen isotopes and plant macrofossils in peat A 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...
Authors
Miriam C. Jones, Matthew J. Wooller, Dorothy M. Peteet
Evaluating CO2 and CH4 dynamics of Alaskan ecosystems during the Holocene Thermal Maximum Evaluating 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...
Authors
Yujie He, Miriam C. Jones, Qianlai Zhuang, Christopher Bochicchio, B. S. Felzer, Erik Mason, Zicheng Yu
Science and Products
Filter Total Items: 53
Near-surface permafrost aggradation in Northern Hemisphere peatlands shows regional and global trends during the past 6000 years Near-surface permafrost aggradation in Northern Hemisphere peatlands shows regional and global trends during the past 6000 years
The history of permafrost aggradation and thaw in northern peatlands can serve as an indicator of regional climatic history in regions where records are sparse. We infer regional trends in the timing of permafrost aggradation and thaw in North American and Eurasian peatland ecosystems based on plant macrofossils and peat properties using existing peat core records from more than 250...
Authors
Claire C. Treat, Miriam Jones
Rapid carbon loss and slow recovery following permafrost thaw in boreal peatlands Rapid 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...
Authors
Miriam C. Jones, Jennifer W. Harden, Jonathan A. O’Donnell, Kristen L. Manies, M. Torre Jorgenson, Claire C. Treat, Stephanie Ewing
Soil data for a thermokarst bog and the surrounding permafrost plateau forest, located at Bonanza Creek Long Term Ecological Research Site, Interior Alaska Soil 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...
Authors
Kristen L. Manies, Christopher C. Fuller, Miriam C. Jones, Mark P. Waldrop, John P. McGeehin
Holocene climate changes in eastern Beringia (NW North America) – A systematic review of multi-proxy evidence Holocene 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...
Authors
Darrell 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 Yu
Presence of rapidly degrading permafrost plateaus in south-central Alaska Presence 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...
Authors
Benjamin M. Jones, Carson Baughman, Vladimir E. Romanovsky, Andrew D. Parsekian, Esther Babcock, Eva Stephani, Miriam C. Jones, Guido Grosse, Edward E Berg
Effects of permafrost aggradation on peat properties as determined from a pan-Arctic synthesis of plant macrofossils Effects 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...
Authors
Claire 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. Valiranta
Thermokarst lake methanogenesis along a complete talik profile Thermokarst 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...
Authors
J.K. Heslop, K.M. Walter Anthony, A. Sepulveda-Jauregui, K. Martinez-Cruz, A. Bondurant, G. Grosse, Miriam C. Jones
A database and synthesis of northern peatland soil properties and Holocene carbon and nitrogen accumulation A database and synthesis of northern peatland soil properties and Holocene carbon and nitrogen accumulation
Here, we present results from the most comprehensive compilation of Holocene peat soil properties with associated carbon and nitrogen accumulation rates for northern peatlands. Our database consists of 268 peat cores from 215 sites located north of 45°N. It encompasses regions within which peat carbon data have only recently become available, such as the West Siberia Lowlands, the Hudson...
Authors
Rebecca A. Loiselle, Zicheng Yu, David Beilman, Philip Camill, Jukka Alm, Matthew Amesbury, David Anderson, Sofia Andersson, Christopher Bochicchio, Keith Barber, Lisa Belyea, Joan Bunbury, Frank M. Chambers, Dan Charman, Francois De Vleeschouwer, Barbara Fialkiawicz-Koziel, Sarah A Finkelstein, Mariusz Galka, Michelle Garneau, Dan Hammarlund, William Hinchcliffe, James Holmquist, Paul Hughes, Miriam C. Jones, Eric S. Klein, Ulla Kokfelt, Atte Korhola, Peter Kuhry, Alexandre Lamarre, Mariusz Lamentowicz, David Large, Martin Lavoie, Glen MacDonald, Gabriel Magnan, Markku Makila, Gunnar Mallon, Paul Mathijssen, Dmitri Mauquoy, Julia McCarroll, Tim R. Moore, Jonathan M. Nichols, Benjamin O’Reilly, P.O. Oksanen, Maara S. Packalen, Dorothy M. Peteet, Pierre Richard, Stephen Robinson, T.M. Ronkainen, Mats Rundgren, A. Britta K. Sannel, Charles Tarnocai, Tim Thom, Eeva-Stiina Tuittila, Merritt Turetsky, M. Valiranta, Marjolein van der Linden, Bas van Geel, Simon van Bellen, Dale Vitt, Yan Zhao, Weijian Zhou
A shift of thermokarst lakes from carbon sources to sinks during the Holocene epoch A 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...
Authors
K. 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. Frolking
Late Holocene vegetation, climate, and land-use impacts on carbon dynamics in the Florida Everglades Late 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...
Authors
Miriam C. Jones, Christopher E. Bernhardt, Debra A. Willard
A deglacial and Holocene record of climate variability in south-central Alaska from stable oxygen isotopes and plant macrofossils in peat A 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...
Authors
Miriam C. Jones, Matthew J. Wooller, Dorothy M. Peteet
Evaluating CO2 and CH4 dynamics of Alaskan ecosystems during the Holocene Thermal Maximum Evaluating 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...
Authors
Yujie He, Miriam C. Jones, Qianlai Zhuang, Christopher Bochicchio, B. S. Felzer, Erik Mason, Zicheng Yu