Rapid Ice-Wedge Collapse and Permafrost Carbon Loss Triggered by Increased Snow Depth and Surface Runoff ...

Thicker snow cover in permafrost areas causes deeper active layers and thaw subsidence, which alter local hydrology and may amplify the loss of soil carbon. However, the potential for changes in snow cover and surface runoff to mobilize permafrost carbon remains poorly quantified. In this study, we...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Parmentier, Frans-Jan W., Nilsen, Lennart, Tømmervik, Hans, Meisel, Ove H., Bröder, Lisa, Vonk, Jorien E., Westermann, Sebastian, Semenchuk, Philipp R., Cooper, Elisabeth J.
Format: Text
Language:English
Published: ETH Zurich 2024
Subjects:
permafrost
thermokarst
snow cover
runoff
soil carbon
dissolved organic carbon
Ice
Svalbard
Thermokarst
wedge*
Online Access:https://dx.doi.org/10.3929/ethz-b-000677331
http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11850/677331
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Summary:Thicker snow cover in permafrost areas causes deeper active layers and thaw subsidence, which alter local hydrology and may amplify the loss of soil carbon. However, the potential for changes in snow cover and surface runoff to mobilize permafrost carbon remains poorly quantified. In this study, we show that a snow fence experiment on High-Arctic Svalbard inadvertently led to surface subsidence through warming, and extensive downstream erosion due to increased surface runoff. Within a decade of artificially raised snow depths, several ice wedges collapsed, forming a 50 m long and 1.5 m deep thermo-erosion gully in the landscape. We estimate that 1.1-3.3 tons C may have eroded, and that the gully is a hotspot for processing of mobilized aquatic carbon. Our results show that interactions among snow, runoff and permafrost thaw form an important driver of soil carbon loss, highlighting the need for improved model representation. ... : Geophysical Research Letters, 51 (11) ...

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