Dataset: Consistent release of volatile organic compounds across an actively degrading permafrost peatland

Here, we conducted in situ measurements of soil and pond VOC emissions across an actively degrading permafrost peatland in subarctic Norway. We used a permafrost thaw gradient that covered bare soil and vegetated palsa plateaus, underlain by intact permafrost, and increasingly degraded permafrost landscapes: thaw slumps, thaw ponds, and vegetated thaw ponds.

This dataset includes two excel files: 1) the first one "Finnmark_source_data" is the source data for figures in the publication https://doi.org/10.1016/j.geoderma.2023.116355. ii) the second one "Rawdata_of_emission_rate" is the emission rate of the 210 VOC species identified in this study.

Results showed that every peatland landscape type was an important and consistent source of atmospheric VOCs, with a large variety species, such as methanol, acetone, monoterpenes, sesquiterpenes, isoprene, hydrocarbons, oxygenated VOCs, etc. VOC composition varied considerably across the measurement period and across the permafrost thaw gradient. We observed enhanced terpenoid emissions following thaw slump degradation, highlighting the potential atmospheric impact of permafrost thaw, due to the high chemical reactivities of terpenoid compounds. Overall, our study demonstrates that VOCs are being emitted in significant quantities and with largely similar composition upon permafrost thawing, inundation, and subsequent vegetation development, despite major differences in microclimate, hydrological regime, vegetation, and permafrost occurrence.

Should you have any questions regarding the dataset, please free feel to contact Yi jiao at yi.jiao@bio.ku.dk or the PI of this project Prof. Rinnan at riikkar@bio.ku.dk