Thermokarst Landscape Development Detected by Multiple-Geospatial Data in Churapcha, Eastern Siberia

Abstract

Thermokarst is a typical process that indicates widespread permafrost degradation in yedoma landscapes. The Lena-Aldan interfluvial area in Central Yakutia in eastern Siberia is now facing extensive landscape changes with surface subsidence due to thermokarst development during the past few decades. To clarify the spatial extent and rate of subsidence, multiple spatial datasets, including GIS and remote sensing observations, were used to analyze the Churapcha rural locality, which has a typical yedoma landscape in Central Yakutia. Land cover classification maps for 1945 and 2009 provide basic information on anthropogenic disturbance to the natural landscape of boreal forest and dry grassland. Interferometric synthetic aperture radar (InSAR) with ALOS-2/PALSAR-2 data revealed activated surface subsidence of 2 cm/yr in the disturbed area, comprising mainly abandoned agricultural fields. Remote sensing with an unmanned aerial system also provided high-resolution information on polygonal relief formed by thermokarst development at a disused airfield where InSAR analysis exhibited extensive subsidence. It is worth noting that some historically deforested areas have likely recovered to the original landscape without further thermokarst development. Spatial information on historical land-use change is helpful because most areas with thermokarst development correspond to locations where land was used by humans in the past. Going forward, the integrated analysis of geospatial information will be essential for assessing permafrost degradation.

Monitoring Ground Surface Deformation of Ice-Wedge Polygon Areas in Saskylakh, NW Yakutia, Using Interferometric Synthetic Aperture Radar (InSAR) and Google Earth Engine (GEE)

“…The GSD in this paper is similar to the GSD of IWP areas monitored by Iijima et al [75]. Both theirs and ours have achieved a wide range of monitoring, and cannot achieve accuracy of a single IWP research.…”

“…Because ice wedges are typically developed near the top of attached permafrost, polygonal terrain is particularly susceptible to thermokarsting. Thermokarst ponding affects the permafrost terrains when the thawing of ice-rich permafrost and the ensued meltwater drainage and enhanced soil erosion causes the loss of structural integrity of IWPs and the subsequent collapse of the ground [11,[71][72][73][74][75].…”

Ground Surface Displacement After a Forest Fire Near Mayya, Eastern Siberia, Using InSAR: Observation and Implication for Geophysical Modeling

“…Our InSAR processing procedures were similar to those used in previous studies (Abe et al., 2020; Iijima et al., 2021; Strozzi et al., 2018; Yanagiya & Furuya, 2020). We generated single‐look complex (SLC) data from ALOS‐2 level 1.1 data.…”

“…InSAR is a unique tool to examine surface displacement using two SAR images at different times with an accuracy of a few centimeters (Hanssen, 2001). InSAR has been used for detecting surface deformations related to permafrost such as seasonal freeze‐thaw cycles (e.g., Daout et al., 2017; Liu et al., 2010; Rouyet et al., 2019; Short et al., 2011; Strozzi et al., 2018), thermokarst (Abe et al., 2020; Antonova et al., 2018; Chen et al., 2018; Iijima et al., 2021; Liu et al., 2015), and wildfires (Iwahana et al., 2016; Liu et al., 2014; Michaelides et al., 2019; Molan et al., 2018; Yanagiya, 2022; Yanagiya & Furuya, 2020). L‐band InSAR is more suitable than C‐and X‐band InSAR to examine long‐term displacement such as thermokarst subsidence, with respect to coherence (Abe et al., 2020; Strozzi et al., 2018; Wang et al., 2017; Yanagiya, 2022; Yanagiya & Furuya, 2020).…”

Automated Identification of Thermokarst Lakes Using Machine Learning in the Ice-Rich Permafrost Landscape of Central Yakutia (Eastern Siberia)

“…RT lakes exhibited the strongest spatial clustering of the three lake types and these lakes frequently formed adjacent to roads and in recently cleared land. Removal of forest cover causes a rapid deepening of the active layer and can quickly induce permafrost thawing and thermokarst lake formation in areas of ice-rich permafrost [12,61]. Direct impacts of land cover removal and infrastructure development are usually limited to within 100 m of the disturbance, but the effects can last for decades despite revegetation [62].…”