Permafrost Warming in a Subarctic Peatland – Which Meteorological Controls are Most Important?

Sannel, A. Britta K.; Hugelius, Gustaf; Jansson, Peter; Kuhry, Peter

doi:10.1002/ppp.1862

Cited by 53 publications

(54 citation statements)

References 61 publications

(99 reference statements)

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“…warm and cold season, annually) might not fully describe the present state of palsa and permafrost response that has occurred elsewhere (e.g. Sannel et al , ). The diversity of climate responses among our study sites probably reflects an underlying multiplicity of climatological, ecological, and geomorphological process interactions occurring on multiple time scales (Viles et al , ).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Recent Increases in Permafrost Thaw Rates and Areal Loss of Palsas in the Western Northwest Territories, Canada

Mamet

Chun

Kershaw

et al. 2017

Permafrost & Periglacial

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Decay of palsas can indicate permafrost status, particularly in regions where air temperatures have increased rapidly in recent decades. Using weather data, annual surveys of active‐layer thickness, and analyses of high‐resolution aerial imagery from the eastern Selwyn/western Mackenzie Mountains, NT, Canada, we show that permafrost temperatures have increased, active layers have deepened, and palsa areal extents have decreased considerably since the 1940s. High‐altitude palsas thawed quickly from the 1940s to the 1980s, although some low‐altitude palsas have recently decreased rapidly in areal extent due to peat‐block calving. The linear rate of increasing active‐layer thickness may not be congruent with the non‐linear rate of areal loss of palsas. The rapid and episodic collapse of palsas at some sites highlights the necessity to consider hydrology, vegetation cover, landscape position, and morphology in palsa dynamics in addition to a warming climate. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Recent Increases in Permafrost Thaw Rates and Areal Loss of Palsas in the Western Northwest Territories, Canada

Mamet

Chun

Kershaw

et al. 2017

Permafrost & Periglacial

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“…In addition to air temperature, climate change may also cause changes in precipitation, solar radiation, snowpack and vegetation (Chang X. et al , ; Sannel et al , ). Although the SHAWDHM is capable of assessing the impacts of all these changes, if proper projections are provided, only climate warming was considered in this study.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Influences of Frozen Ground and Climate Change on Hydrological Processes in an Alpine Watershed: A Case Study in the Upstream Area of the Hei'he River, Northwest China

Zhang

Cheng

et al. 2016

Permafrost and Periglac. Process.

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In cold regions, the occurrence of frozen ground has a fundamental control over the character of the water cycle. To investigate the impact of changing ground temperature conditions on hydrological processes in the context of climate change, a distributed hydrological model with an explicit frozen ground module was applied to an alpine watershed in the upstream area of the Hei'he River in the Qilian Mountains, northwest China. After evaluating the base model, we considered scenarios of frost‐free ground and climate change. Results showed that the base model with a frozen ground module successfully captured the water balance and thermal regimes in the basin. When the frozen ground module was turned off, the simulated groundwater recharge and base flow increased by a factor of two to three because surface runoff caused by exceeding infiltration capacities at high elevations, which occurred in the base model, was eliminated. Consequently, the river hydrograph became smoother and flatter, with summer flood peaks delayed and reduced in volume. The annual mean depth where subsurface runoff was generated, was about 2.4 m compared to 1.1 m in the base model. For a warming climate, a combination of increasing evapotranspiration and reducing permafrost area results in smoother and flatter hydrographs, and a reduction in total river discharge. Although our analysis using numerical models has its limitations, it still provides new quantitative understanding of the influences of frozen ground and climate change on hydrological processes in an alpine watershed. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

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“…The mean temperature in July is 11.5 °C and in January −12.5 °C (Sannel et al . ). The mean annual precipitation (2006–2013) is 461 mm a −1 at the closest meteorological station in Naimakka (latitude 68°41′N, longitude 21°32′E, 402 m a.s.l.)…”

Section: Study Areamentioning

confidence: 97%

“…The mean annual ground temperature in the peat plateau is currently warmer than −0.3 °C, and the active layer depth is around 55–60 cm (Sannel et al . ).…”

Section: Study Areamentioning

confidence: 97%

Holocene development and permafrost history in sub‐arctic peatlands in Tavvavuoma, northern Sweden

Sannel

Hempel

Kessler

et al. 2017

Boreas

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Under changing climatic conditions permafrost peatlands can play an important role in the global carbon budget through permafrost carbon feedbacks and shifts in carbon assimilation. To better predict future dynamics in these ecosystems an increased understanding of their Holocene carbon and permafrost history is needed. In Tavvavuoma, northern Sweden, we have performed detailed analyses of vegetation succession and geochemical properties at six permafrost peatland sites. Peatland initiation took place around 10 000 to 9600 cal. a BP, soon after retreat of the Fennoscandian Ice Sheet, and the peatlands have remained permafrost‐free fens throughout most of the Holocene. At the four sites that showed a continuous accumulation record during the late Holocene radiocarbon dating of the shift from wet fen to dry bog vegetation, characteristic of the present permafrost peatland surface, suggests that permafrost developed at around 600–100 cal. a BP. At the other two sites peat accumulation was halted during the late Holocene, possibly due to abrasion, making it more difficult to imply the timing of permafrost aggradation. However also at these sites there are no indications of permafrost inception prior to the Little Ice Age. The mean long‐term Holocene carbon accumulation rate at all six sites was 12.3±2.4 gC m−2 a−1 (±SD), and the mean soil organic carbon storage was 114±27 kg m−2.

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Permafrost Warming in a Subarctic Peatland – Which Meteorological Controls are Most Important?

Cited by 53 publications

References 61 publications

Recent Increases in Permafrost Thaw Rates and Areal Loss of Palsas in the Western Northwest Territories, Canada

Recent Increases in Permafrost Thaw Rates and Areal Loss of Palsas in the Western Northwest Territories, Canada

Influences of Frozen Ground and Climate Change on Hydrological Processes in an Alpine Watershed: A Case Study in the Upstream Area of the Hei'he River, Northwest China

Holocene development and permafrost history in sub‐arctic peatlands in Tavvavuoma, northern Sweden

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