Nonlinear thermal and moisture response of ice-wedge polygons to permafrost disturbance increases heterogeneity of high Arctic wetland
Low-center polygonal terrains with gentle sloping surfaces and lowlands in the high Arctic have a potential to retain water in the lower central portion of ice-wedge polygons and are considered high-latitude wetlands. Such wetlands in the continuous permafrost regions have an important ecological ro...
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Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-13-1439-2016 https://www.biogeosciences.net/13/1439/2016/ |
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ftcopernicus:oai:publications.copernicus.org:bg31166 2023-05-15T13:03:06+02:00 Nonlinear thermal and moisture response of ice-wedge polygons to permafrost disturbance increases heterogeneity of high Arctic wetland Godin, Etienne Fortier, Daniel Lévesque, Esther 2018-09-27 application/pdf https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-13-1439-2016 https://www.biogeosciences.net/13/1439/2016/ eng eng doi:10.5194/bg-13-1439-2016 https://www.biogeosciences.net/13/1439/2016/ eISSN: 1726-4189 Text 2018 ftcopernicus https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-13-1439-2016 2019-12-24T09:52:43Z Low-center polygonal terrains with gentle sloping surfaces and lowlands in the high Arctic have a potential to retain water in the lower central portion of ice-wedge polygons and are considered high-latitude wetlands. Such wetlands in the continuous permafrost regions have an important ecological role in an otherwise generally arid region. In the valley of the glacier C-79 on Bylot Island (Nunavut, Canada), thermal erosion gullies were rapidly eroding the permafrost along ice wedges affecting the integrity of the polygons by breaching and collapsing the surrounding rims. Intact polygons were characterized by a relative homogeneity in terms of topography, snow cover, maximum active layer thaw depth, ground moisture content and vegetation cover (where eroded polygons responded nonlinearly to perturbations, which resulted in differing conditions in the latter elements). The heterogeneous nature of disturbed terrains impacted active layer thickness, ground ice aggradation in the upper portion of permafrost, soil moisture, vegetation dynamics and carbon storage. Text Active layer thickness Arctic Bylot Island glacier* Ice Nunavut permafrost wedge* Copernicus Publications: E-Journals Arctic Bylot Island Canada Nunavut Biogeosciences 13 5 1439 1452 |
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Open Polar |
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Copernicus Publications: E-Journals |
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ftcopernicus |
language |
English |
description |
Low-center polygonal terrains with gentle sloping surfaces and lowlands in the high Arctic have a potential to retain water in the lower central portion of ice-wedge polygons and are considered high-latitude wetlands. Such wetlands in the continuous permafrost regions have an important ecological role in an otherwise generally arid region. In the valley of the glacier C-79 on Bylot Island (Nunavut, Canada), thermal erosion gullies were rapidly eroding the permafrost along ice wedges affecting the integrity of the polygons by breaching and collapsing the surrounding rims. Intact polygons were characterized by a relative homogeneity in terms of topography, snow cover, maximum active layer thaw depth, ground moisture content and vegetation cover (where eroded polygons responded nonlinearly to perturbations, which resulted in differing conditions in the latter elements). The heterogeneous nature of disturbed terrains impacted active layer thickness, ground ice aggradation in the upper portion of permafrost, soil moisture, vegetation dynamics and carbon storage. |
format |
Text |
author |
Godin, Etienne Fortier, Daniel Lévesque, Esther |
spellingShingle |
Godin, Etienne Fortier, Daniel Lévesque, Esther Nonlinear thermal and moisture response of ice-wedge polygons to permafrost disturbance increases heterogeneity of high Arctic wetland |
author_facet |
Godin, Etienne Fortier, Daniel Lévesque, Esther |
author_sort |
Godin, Etienne |
title |
Nonlinear thermal and moisture response of ice-wedge polygons to permafrost disturbance increases heterogeneity of high Arctic wetland |
title_short |
Nonlinear thermal and moisture response of ice-wedge polygons to permafrost disturbance increases heterogeneity of high Arctic wetland |
title_full |
Nonlinear thermal and moisture response of ice-wedge polygons to permafrost disturbance increases heterogeneity of high Arctic wetland |
title_fullStr |
Nonlinear thermal and moisture response of ice-wedge polygons to permafrost disturbance increases heterogeneity of high Arctic wetland |
title_full_unstemmed |
Nonlinear thermal and moisture response of ice-wedge polygons to permafrost disturbance increases heterogeneity of high Arctic wetland |
title_sort |
nonlinear thermal and moisture response of ice-wedge polygons to permafrost disturbance increases heterogeneity of high arctic wetland |
publishDate |
2018 |
url |
https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-13-1439-2016 https://www.biogeosciences.net/13/1439/2016/ |
geographic |
Arctic Bylot Island Canada Nunavut |
geographic_facet |
Arctic Bylot Island Canada Nunavut |
genre |
Active layer thickness Arctic Bylot Island glacier* Ice Nunavut permafrost wedge* |
genre_facet |
Active layer thickness Arctic Bylot Island glacier* Ice Nunavut permafrost wedge* |
op_source |
eISSN: 1726-4189 |
op_relation |
doi:10.5194/bg-13-1439-2016 https://www.biogeosciences.net/13/1439/2016/ |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-13-1439-2016 |
container_title |
Biogeosciences |
container_volume |
13 |
container_issue |
5 |
container_start_page |
1439 |
op_container_end_page |
1452 |
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1766328171424120832 |