Pond hydrology and dissolved carbon dynamics at Polar Bear Pass wetland, Bathurst Island, Nunavut, Canada

Abnizova, Anna; Young, Kathy L.; Lafrenière, Melissa J.

doi:10.1002/eco.1323

Cited by 19 publications

(23 citation statements)

References 81 publications

(123 reference statements)

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“…Our water body classifications, however, do represent the water surface state at a specific date and not an average condition of the water surface area. Surface area of wetland ponds at PBP was directly measured in relatively wet summers of 2008 and 2009 and varied ± 10% during mid-summer and in between years due to differences in precipitation and evaporation [38]. Similar mid-summer fluctuations were found by Bowling et al [69] on the Alaska Arctic coastal plain.…”

Section: Size Distribution Of Ponds and Lakes Across Scalessupporting

confidence: 64%

“…At both PBP and BAR, the high-resolution water body maps are from the same year as the Landsat data but date two weeks earlier. At PBP in August 2009, however, water levels were relatively stable even in ponds with dynamic water levels [38] so that seasonal differences in water cover can be ruled out. Similarly, no extreme rain event or drying of the surface was observed at BAR in summer 2009 from available precipitation records (NCDC web archive at http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/crn/, StationID 1007).…”

Section: Albedo As An Estimator Of Subpixel Water Covermentioning

confidence: 99%

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Water Body Distributions Across Scales: A Remote Sensing Based Comparison of Three Arctic Tundra Wetlands

et al. 2013

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Water bodies are ubiquitous features in Arctic wetlands. Ponds, i.e., waters with a surface area smaller than 10 4 m 2 , have been recognized as hotspots of biological activity and greenhouse gas emissions but are not well inventoried. This study aimed to identify common characteristics of three Arctic wetlands including water body size and abundance for different spatial resolutions, and the potential of Landsat-5 TM satellite data to show the subpixel fraction of water cover (SWC) via the surface albedo. Water bodies were mapped using optical and radar satellite data with resolutions of 4 m or better, Landsat-5 TM at 30 m and the MODIS water mask (MOD44W) at 250 m resolution. Study sites showed similar properties regarding water body distributions and scaling issues. Abundance-size distributions showed a curved pattern on a log-log scale with a flattened lower tail and an upper tail that appeared Paretian. Ponds represented 95% of the total water body number. Total number of water bodies decreased with coarser spatial resolutions. However, clusters of small water bodies were merged into single larger water bodies leading to local overestimation of water surface area. To assess the uncertainty of coarse-scale products, both surface water fraction and the water body size distribution should therefore be considered. Using Landsat surface albedo to estimate SWC across different terrain types including polygonal terrain and drained thermokarst basins proved to be a robust approach. However, the albedo-SWC relationship is site specific and needs to be tested in other Arctic regions. These findings present a baseline to better represent small water bodies of Arctic wet tundra environments in regional as well as global ecosystem and climate models.

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Section: Size Distribution Of Ponds and Lakes Across Scalessupporting

confidence: 64%

Section: Albedo As An Estimator Of Subpixel Water Covermentioning

confidence: 99%

Water Body Distributions Across Scales: A Remote Sensing Based Comparison of Three Arctic Tundra Wetlands

et al. 2013

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“…Snowmeit is a significant component of tbe annual water budget and tbis period generally produces tbe bigbest seasonal discbarges, often leading to the highest water tables in wetland ponds and lakes. It is also tbe primary season when nutrients are transported into ponds, lakes and streams from upslope areas (both wetland and non-wetland terrain; Abnizova et al 2012). Tbe duration and end of tbe spring snowmeit period initiates other important hydrological processes such as ground thaw and evaporation.…”

Section: Summary Of Ciimatic Conditionsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Snowcover and melt characteristics of upland/lowland terrain: Polar Bear Pass, Bathurst Island, Nunavut, Canada

et al. 2012

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Tlie seasonal snowcover and snowmeit (2008)(2009)(2010) of an extensive lov»/-gradient wetland at Poiar Bear Pass, Bathurst island, Nunavut, Canada (75 40' N, 98 30' W) was examined. Tiiis wiidiife sanctuary is ciiaracterized by two iarge lakes and numerous tundra ponds, and is bordered by rolling hills with incised hillslope stream valleys. In arctic environments snow remains one of the most important sources of water for wetlands. End-of-winter snowcover measurements (snow depth, density, water equivalent) together with direct and modeled estimates of snowmeit provided an assessment of the seasonal snowcover regime of representative terrain types comprising upland (plateau, stream valiey, iate-lying snowbed) and lowiand landscapes (wet meadow, ponds, lakes). In all three seasons, deep and persistent snowpacks occurred in sheltered areas (stream valleys) and in the lee of slopes adjacent to the wetland. Exposed areas yielded shailow snowpacks (e.g. piateau, pond) and they melted out rapidly in response to favorable weather conditions. Overall, the basin snowcover and melt progression was dominated by accumulation and melt occurring in upland areas. We surmise the sustainability of this low-gradient wetland is dependent on snowmeit contributions from upiand sites.

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“…In contrast, the pulse disturbance of thermo-erosional processes (localized time scale of years to decades) is likely to favour the delivery of particulate over soluble materials. In addition, hydrologic connectivity and landscape topography are also likely to affect land-to-water constituent transfer (Abnizova et al, 2014), and further affect carbon burial or transfer to the atmosphere. For example, high-gradient watersheds may experience much more lateral constituent transfer, while in low-gradient watersheds with low specific runoff the vertical emission of carbon as CO 2 and CH 4 may predominate.…”

Section: Press Vs Pulse Disturbancesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Reviews and syntheses: Effects of permafrost thaw on Arctic aquatic ecosystems

et al. 2015

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Abstract. The Arctic is a water-rich region, with freshwater systems covering about 16 % of the northern permafrost landscape. Permafrost thaw creates new freshwater ecosystems, while at the same time modifying the existing lakes, streams, and rivers that are impacted by thaw. Here, we describe the current state of knowledge regarding how permafrost thaw affects lentic (still) and lotic (moving) systems, exploring the effects of both thermokarst (thawing and collapse of ice-rich permafrost) and deepening of the active layer (the surface soil layer that thaws and refreezes each year). Within thermokarst, we further differentiate between the effects of thermokarst in lowland areas vs. that on hillslopes. For almost all of the processes that we explore, the effects of thaw vary regionally, and between lake and stream systems. Much of this regional variation is caused by differences in ground ice content, topography, soil type, and permafrost coverage. Together, these modifying factors determine (i) the degree to which permafrost thaw manifests as thermokarst, (ii) whether thermokarst leads to slumping or the formation of thermokarst lakes, and (iii) the manner in which constituent delivery to freshwater systems is altered by thaw. Differences in thaw-enabled constituent delivery can Published by Copernicus Publications on behalf of the European Geosciences Union. J. E. Vonk et al.: Effects of permafrost thaw on Arctic aquatic ecosystemsbe considerable, with these modifying factors determining, for example, the balance between delivery of particulate vs. dissolved constituents, and inorganic vs. organic materials. Changes in the composition of thaw-impacted waters, coupled with changes in lake morphology, can strongly affect the physical and optical properties of thermokarst lakes. The ecology of thaw-impacted lakes and streams is also likely to change; these systems have unique microbiological communities, and show differences in respiration, primary production, and food web structure that are largely driven by differences in sediment, dissolved organic matter, and nutrient delivery. The degree to which thaw enables the delivery of dissolved vs. particulate organic matter, coupled with the composition of that organic matter and the morphology and stratification characteristics of recipient systems will play an important role in determining the balance between the release of organic matter as greenhouse gases (CO 2 and CH 4 ), its burial in sediments, and its loss downstream. The magnitude of thaw impacts on northern aquatic ecosystems is increasing, as is the prevalence of thaw-impacted lakes and streams. There is therefore an urgent need to quantify how permafrost thaw is affecting aquatic ecosystems across diverse Arctic landscapes, and the implications of this change for further climate warming.

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Pond hydrology and dissolved carbon dynamics at Polar Bear Pass wetland, Bathurst Island, Nunavut, Canada

Cited by 19 publications

References 81 publications

Water Body Distributions Across Scales: A Remote Sensing Based Comparison of Three Arctic Tundra Wetlands

Water Body Distributions Across Scales: A Remote Sensing Based Comparison of Three Arctic Tundra Wetlands

Snowcover and melt characteristics of upland/lowland terrain: Polar Bear Pass, Bathurst Island, Nunavut, Canada

Reviews and syntheses: Effects of permafrost thaw on Arctic aquatic ecosystems

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