Periglacial Lake Origin Influences the Likelihood of Lake Drainage in Northern Alaska

Lara, Mark J.; Chipman, M. L.

doi:10.3390/rs13050852

Cited by 7 publications

(3 citation statements)

References 54 publications

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“…Lake drainage is essentially the abrupt thawing of permafrost intensified by climate change, reflecting permafrost degradation and instability 11,20 . Drainage events reduce the water storage capacity of lakes, impacting local hydrological conditions [67][68][69] . Drainage of large lakes often leads to catastrophic flooding due to the peak of snowmelt promoting the formation of ephemeral lakes and resulting in rapid and sustained flood peaks 4,63,70 .…”

Section: Implications Of Lake Drainage and Vegetation Growth In Dlbsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Tracking lake drainage events and drained lake basin vegetation dynamics across the Arctic

Chen,

Cheng,

Liu

et al. 2023

Nat Commun

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Widespread lake drainage can lead to large-scale drying in Arctic lake-rich areas, affecting hydrology, ecosystems and permafrost carbon dynamics. To date, the spatio-temporal distribution, driving factors, and post-drainage dynamics of lake drainage events across the Arctic remain unclear. Using satellite remote sensing and surface water products, we identify over 35,000 (~0.6% of all lakes) lake drainage events in the northern permafrost zone between 1984 and 2020, with approximately half being relatively understudied non-thermokarst lakes. Smaller, thermokarst, and discontinuous permafrost area lakes are more susceptible to drainage compared to their larger, non-thermokarst, and continuous permafrost area counterparts. Over time, discontinuous permafrost areas contribute more drained lakes annually than continuous permafrost areas. Following drainage, vegetation rapidly colonizes drained lake basins, with thermokarst drained lake basins showing significantly higher vegetation growth rates and greenness levels than their non-thermokarst counterparts. Under warming, drained lake basins are likely to become more prevalent and serve as greening hotspots, playing an important role in shaping Arctic ecosystems.

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Section: Implications Of Lake Drainage and Vegetation Growth In Dlbsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Tracking lake drainage events and drained lake basin vegetation dynamics across the Arctic

Chen,

Cheng,

Liu

et al. 2023

Nat Commun

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“…Lakes and DLBs are common features in the Arctic landscape of the North Slope of Alaska. Previous studies have described the distribution of lakes and DLBs for different terrain types in the region, but a wall-to-wall map of the North Slope was lacking [6,22,[79][80][81]. By quantifying the proportion of lakes and DLBs in particular areas (i.e., by differing surficial geologies) and across the entirety of the North Slope, for the first time, this study provides critical information as to the rate of past landscape changes and a lens on the variability in landscape dynamics operating over the course of millennia.…”

Section: Lakes and Drained Lake Basins On The North Slope Of Alaskamentioning

confidence: 99%

Remote Sensing-Based Statistical Approach for Defining Drained Lake Basins in a Continuous Permafrost Region, North Slope of Alaska

et al. 2021

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Lake formation and drainage are pervasive phenomena in permafrost regions. Drained lake basins (DLBs) are often the most common landforms in lowland permafrost regions in the Arctic (50% to 75% of the landscape). However, detailed assessments of DLB distribution and abundance are limited. In this study, we present a novel and scalable remote sensing-based approach to identifying DLBs in lowland permafrost regions, using the North Slope of Alaska as a case study. We validated this first North Slope-wide DLB data product against several previously published sub-regional scale datasets and manually classified points. The study area covered >71,000 km2, including a >39,000 km2 area not previously covered in existing DLB datasets. Our approach used Landsat-8 multispectral imagery and ArcticDEM data to derive a pixel-by-pixel statistical assessment of likelihood of DLB occurrence in sub-regions with different permafrost and periglacial landscape conditions, as well as to quantify aerial coverage of DLBs on the North Slope of Alaska. The results were consistent with previously published regional DLB datasets (up to 87% agreement) and showed high agreement with manually classified random points (64.4–95.5% for DLB and 83.2–95.4% for non-DLB areas). Validation of the remote sensing-based statistical approach on the North Slope of Alaska indicated that it may be possible to extend this methodology to conduct a comprehensive assessment of DLBs in pan-Arctic lowland permafrost regions. Better resolution of the spatial distribution of DLBs in lowland permafrost regions is important for quantitative studies on landscape diversity, wildlife habitat, permafrost, hydrology, geotechnical conditions, and high-latitude carbon cycling.

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“…Some remote sensing studies on lake drainage use satellite images for two time periods to analyze changes in water area [18,25,26], but this can result in statistical errors due to seasonal fluctuations. While some studies use long-time series of satellite remote sensing images for trend analysis to minimize the impact of seasonal and interannual fluctuations of water bodies [27][28][29], they are limited to identifying trends in surface water drying and lack the capability to specifically focus on individual lake drainage events. To conduct a comprehensive analysis of lake drainage events, we developed a hybrid algorithm by combining the Theil-Sen trend analysis method with the LandTrendr change detection algorithm in our previous studies [30,31].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Monitoring Thermokarst Lake Drainage Dynamics in Northeast Siberian Coastal Tundra

Liu,

Chen,

Cheng

2023

Remote Sensing

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Thermokarst lakes in permafrost regions are highly dynamic due to drainage events triggered by climate warming. This study focused on mapping lake drainage events across the Northeast Siberian coastal tundra from 2000 to 2020 and identifying influential factors. An object-based lake analysis method was developed to detect 238 drained lakes using a well-established surface water dynamics product. The LandTrendr change detection algorithm, combined with continuous Landsat satellite imagery, precisely dated lake drainage years with 83.2% accuracy validated against manual interpretation. Spatial analysis revealed the clustering of drained lakes along rivers and in subsidence-prone Yedoma regions. The statistical analysis showed significant warming aligned with broader trends but no evident temporal pattern in lake drainage events. Our machine learning model identified lake area, soil temperature, summer evaporation, and summer precipitation as the top predictors of lake drainage. As these climatic parameters increase or surpass specific thresholds, the likelihood of lake drainage notably increases. Overall, this study enhanced the understanding of thermokarst lake drainage patterns and environmental controls in vulnerable permafrost regions. Spatial and temporal dynamics of lake drainage events were governed by complex climatic, topographic, and permafrost interactions. Integrating remote sensing with field studies and modeling will help project lake stability and greenhouse gas emissions under climate change.

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Periglacial Lake Origin Influences the Likelihood of Lake Drainage in Northern Alaska

Cited by 7 publications

References 54 publications

Tracking lake drainage events and drained lake basin vegetation dynamics across the Arctic

Tracking lake drainage events and drained lake basin vegetation dynamics across the Arctic

Remote Sensing-Based Statistical Approach for Defining Drained Lake Basins in a Continuous Permafrost Region, North Slope of Alaska

Monitoring Thermokarst Lake Drainage Dynamics in Northeast Siberian Coastal Tundra

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