The impact of warming on ecosystem carbon balance: Annual and growing season decomposition at the Carbon in Permafrost Experimental Heating Research (CiPEHR) project, 2008-2013

The Carbon in Permafrost Experimental Heating Research (CiPEHR) project addresses the following questions: 1) Does ecosystem warming cause a net release of C from the ecosystem to the atmosphere?, 2) Does the decomposition of old C that comprises the bulk of the soil C pool influence ecosystem C loss?, and 3) How do winter and summer warming alone, and in combination, affect ecosystem C exchange? We are answering these questions using a combination of field and laboratory experiments to measure ecosystem carbon balance and radiocarbon isotope ratios at a warming experiment located in an upland tundra field site near Healy, Alaska in the foothills of the Alaska Range. This data set is annual (September through September) and growing season (May through September) mass loss of cellulose filter paper at 0-10 cm and 10-20 cm (annual only) depths in the soil profile. Annual data is from September 2008 through September 2012 (4 years) and growing season data is from May through September in 2010 and 2011.