Geospatial Data Documenting the Expansion and Drainage of Schaeffer Lake, Northwestern Arctic Alaska, 1951-2022

• Main Author: Benjamin Jones
• Format: Dataset
• Language: unknown
• Published: Arctic Data Center 2023
• Subjects: arctic lakes; lake drainage; local environmental observations; Arctic; Antarctic; Fairbanks; Baldwin; Cape Prince of Wales; Schaeffer Lake; Antarc*; permafrost; Thermokarst; Alaska
• Online Access: https://doi.org/10.18739/A2930NW7W

On 29 June 2022, local observers reported the drainage of a 0.5 ha lake near Qikiqtaġruk (Kotzebue), Alaska that prompted this collaborative study on the life cycle of a thermokarst lake in the Arctic (Jones et al., In Review). This dataset includes the geospatial files created for the study that documents the expansion and drainage of a small lake on the Schaeffer's Native allotment near Qikiqtaġruk (Kotzebue), Alaska. We have digitized the perimeter of the lake in historical aerial imagery and contemporary satellite imagery from 1951, 1974, 1993, 2007, and 2021. This data has been uploaded in geojson formats. We also created digital terrain models based on processing aerial images acquired in 2016 via fixed wing (Fairbanks Fodar, 2019) and in 2022 with a survey-grade quadcopter drone system. This data is provided in geotiff format. We also simulated a pre-lake disturbance terrain model to estimate permafrost thaw subsidence associated with the formation and drainage of the lake. This data has been uploaded in geotiff format. Citations: Jones, B.M., Tessier, S.S., Tessier, T., Brubaker, M., Brook, M., Schaeffer, J., Ward Jones, M.K., Grosse, G., Nitze, I., Rettelbach, T., Savoico, S., Clark, J.A., and Tape, K.D. In Revision. Integrating local environmental observations and remote sensing to better understand the life cycle of a thermokarst lake in Arctic Alaska. Arctic, Antarctic, and Alpine Research. Fairbanks Fodar, 2019. Digital Mapping of Coast between Cape Thompson and Cape Prince of Wales [online]. Available from: https://elevation.alaska.gov/ [Accessed 21 Aug 2022].