Permafrost thermal conditions are sensitive to shifts in snow timing
Changes in snow precipitation at high latitudes can significantly affect permafrost thermal conditions and thaw depth, potentially exposing more carbon-laden soil to microbial decomposition. A fully coupled process-based surface/subsurface thermal hydrology model with surface energy balance is used...
Published in: | Environmental Research Letters |
---|---|
Main Authors: | , |
Format: | Article in Journal/Newspaper |
Language: | English |
Published: |
IOP Publishing
2020
|
Subjects: | |
Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1088/1748-9326/ab8ec4 https://doaj.org/article/0e0af600354f4e188428b689d21f878e |
id |
ftdoajarticles:oai:doaj.org/article:0e0af600354f4e188428b689d21f878e |
---|---|
record_format |
openpolar |
spelling |
ftdoajarticles:oai:doaj.org/article:0e0af600354f4e188428b689d21f878e 2023-09-05T13:11:09+02:00 Permafrost thermal conditions are sensitive to shifts in snow timing Ahmad Jan Scott L Painter 2020-01-01T00:00:00Z https://doi.org/10.1088/1748-9326/ab8ec4 https://doaj.org/article/0e0af600354f4e188428b689d21f878e EN eng IOP Publishing https://doi.org/10.1088/1748-9326/ab8ec4 https://doaj.org/toc/1748-9326 doi:10.1088/1748-9326/ab8ec4 1748-9326 https://doaj.org/article/0e0af600354f4e188428b689d21f878e Environmental Research Letters, Vol 15, Iss 8, p 084026 (2020) snow precipitation intra-annual variability simulations permafrost degradation talik formation Environmental technology. Sanitary engineering TD1-1066 Environmental sciences GE1-350 Science Q Physics QC1-999 article 2020 ftdoajarticles https://doi.org/10.1088/1748-9326/ab8ec4 2023-08-13T00:37:02Z Changes in snow precipitation at high latitudes can significantly affect permafrost thermal conditions and thaw depth, potentially exposing more carbon-laden soil to microbial decomposition. A fully coupled process-based surface/subsurface thermal hydrology model with surface energy balance is used to analyze the impact of intra-annual variability in snow on permafrost thermal regime and the active layer thickness. In the four numerical scenarios considered, simulations were forced by the same meteorological data, except the snow precipitation, which was systematically altered to change timing of snowfall. The scenarios represent subtle shifts in snow timing, but the snow onset/melt days, the end of winter snowpack depth, and total annual snow precipitation are unchanged among scenarios. The simulations show that small shifts in the timing of snow accumulation can have significant effects on subsurface thermal conditions leading to active layer deepening and even talik formation when snowfall arrives earlier in the winter. The shifts in snow timing have a stronger impact on wetter regions, especially soil underneath small ponds, as compared to drained regions. This study highlights the importance of understanding potential changes in winter precipitation patterns for reliable projections of active-layer thickness in a changing Arctic climate. Article in Journal/Newspaper Active layer thickness Arctic permafrost Talik Directory of Open Access Journals: DOAJ Articles Arctic Talik ENVELOPE(146.601,146.601,59.667,59.667) Environmental Research Letters 15 8 084026 |
institution |
Open Polar |
collection |
Directory of Open Access Journals: DOAJ Articles |
op_collection_id |
ftdoajarticles |
language |
English |
topic |
snow precipitation intra-annual variability simulations permafrost degradation talik formation Environmental technology. Sanitary engineering TD1-1066 Environmental sciences GE1-350 Science Q Physics QC1-999 |
spellingShingle |
snow precipitation intra-annual variability simulations permafrost degradation talik formation Environmental technology. Sanitary engineering TD1-1066 Environmental sciences GE1-350 Science Q Physics QC1-999 Ahmad Jan Scott L Painter Permafrost thermal conditions are sensitive to shifts in snow timing |
topic_facet |
snow precipitation intra-annual variability simulations permafrost degradation talik formation Environmental technology. Sanitary engineering TD1-1066 Environmental sciences GE1-350 Science Q Physics QC1-999 |
description |
Changes in snow precipitation at high latitudes can significantly affect permafrost thermal conditions and thaw depth, potentially exposing more carbon-laden soil to microbial decomposition. A fully coupled process-based surface/subsurface thermal hydrology model with surface energy balance is used to analyze the impact of intra-annual variability in snow on permafrost thermal regime and the active layer thickness. In the four numerical scenarios considered, simulations were forced by the same meteorological data, except the snow precipitation, which was systematically altered to change timing of snowfall. The scenarios represent subtle shifts in snow timing, but the snow onset/melt days, the end of winter snowpack depth, and total annual snow precipitation are unchanged among scenarios. The simulations show that small shifts in the timing of snow accumulation can have significant effects on subsurface thermal conditions leading to active layer deepening and even talik formation when snowfall arrives earlier in the winter. The shifts in snow timing have a stronger impact on wetter regions, especially soil underneath small ponds, as compared to drained regions. This study highlights the importance of understanding potential changes in winter precipitation patterns for reliable projections of active-layer thickness in a changing Arctic climate. |
format |
Article in Journal/Newspaper |
author |
Ahmad Jan Scott L Painter |
author_facet |
Ahmad Jan Scott L Painter |
author_sort |
Ahmad Jan |
title |
Permafrost thermal conditions are sensitive to shifts in snow timing |
title_short |
Permafrost thermal conditions are sensitive to shifts in snow timing |
title_full |
Permafrost thermal conditions are sensitive to shifts in snow timing |
title_fullStr |
Permafrost thermal conditions are sensitive to shifts in snow timing |
title_full_unstemmed |
Permafrost thermal conditions are sensitive to shifts in snow timing |
title_sort |
permafrost thermal conditions are sensitive to shifts in snow timing |
publisher |
IOP Publishing |
publishDate |
2020 |
url |
https://doi.org/10.1088/1748-9326/ab8ec4 https://doaj.org/article/0e0af600354f4e188428b689d21f878e |
long_lat |
ENVELOPE(146.601,146.601,59.667,59.667) |
geographic |
Arctic Talik |
geographic_facet |
Arctic Talik |
genre |
Active layer thickness Arctic permafrost Talik |
genre_facet |
Active layer thickness Arctic permafrost Talik |
op_source |
Environmental Research Letters, Vol 15, Iss 8, p 084026 (2020) |
op_relation |
https://doi.org/10.1088/1748-9326/ab8ec4 https://doaj.org/toc/1748-9326 doi:10.1088/1748-9326/ab8ec4 1748-9326 https://doaj.org/article/0e0af600354f4e188428b689d21f878e |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.1088/1748-9326/ab8ec4 |
container_title |
Environmental Research Letters |
container_volume |
15 |
container_issue |
8 |
container_start_page |
084026 |
_version_ |
1776198204250914816 |