Geochemical characterization and material properties of coastal permafrost near Drew Point, Alaska

Permafrost cores (4.5-7.5 m long) were collected April 10th-19th, 2018, along a geomorphic gradient near Drew Point, Alaska to characterize active layer and permafrost geochemistry and material properties. Cores were collected from a young drained lake basin, an ancient drained lake basin, and primary surface that has not been reworked by thaw lake cycles. Measurements of total organic carbon (TOC) and total nitrogen (TN) content, stable carbon isotope ratios (δ13C) and radiocarbon (14C) analyses of bulk soils/sediments were conducted on 45 samples from 3 permafrost cores. Porewaters were extracted from these same core sections and used to measure salinity, dissolved organic carbon (DOC), total dissolved nitrogen (TDN), anion (Cl-, Br-, SO4 2-, NO3 -), and trace metal (Ca, Mn, Al, Ba, Sr, Si, and Fe) concentrations. Radiogenic strontium (87Sr/86Sr) was measured on a subset of porewater samples. Cores were also sampled for material property measurements such as dry bulk density, water content, and grain size fractions.