Simulating increased permafrost peatland plant productivity in response to belowground fertilisation using the JULES land surface model

Abstract

Several experimental studies have shown that climate-warming-induced permafrost thaw releases previously unavailable nitrogen which can lower nitrogen limitation, increase plant productivity, and counteract some of the carbon released from thawing permafrost. The net effect of this belowground fertilisation effect remains debated and is yet to be included in Earth System models. Here, we included the impact of thaw-related nitrogen fertilisation on vegetation in the Joint UK Land Environment Simulator (JULES) land surface model for the first time. We evaluated its ability to replicate a three-year belowground fertilisation experiment in which JULES was generally able to simulate belowground fertilisation in accordance with the observations. We also ran simulations under future climate to investigate how belowground nitrogen fertilisation affects the carbon cycle. These simulations indicate an increase in plant-available inorganic nitrogen at the thaw front by the end of the century with only the productivity of deep-rooting plants increasing in response. This suggests that deep-rooting species will have a competitive advantage under future climate warming. Our results also illustrate the capacity to simulate belowground nitrogen fertilisation at the thaw front in a global land surface model, leading towards a more complete representation of coupled carbon and nitrogen dynamics in the northern high latitudes.