Pathways of ice-wedge degradation in polygonal tundra under different hydrological conditions
Ice-wedge polygons are common features of lowland tundra in the continuous permafrost zone and prone to rapid degradation through melting of ground ice. There are many interrelated processes involved in ice-wedge thermokarst and it is a major challenge to quantify their influence on the stability of...
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ftdoajarticles:oai:doaj.org/article:3021c77782b94f8189e61d81f6876a5d 2023-05-15T16:36:50+02:00 Pathways of ice-wedge degradation in polygonal tundra under different hydrological conditions J. Nitzbon M. Langer S. Westermann L. Martin K. S. Aas J. Boike 2019-04-01T00:00:00Z https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-13-1089-2019 https://doaj.org/article/3021c77782b94f8189e61d81f6876a5d EN eng Copernicus Publications https://www.the-cryosphere.net/13/1089/2019/tc-13-1089-2019.pdf https://doaj.org/toc/1994-0416 https://doaj.org/toc/1994-0424 doi:10.5194/tc-13-1089-2019 1994-0416 1994-0424 https://doaj.org/article/3021c77782b94f8189e61d81f6876a5d The Cryosphere, Vol 13, Pp 1089-1123 (2019) Environmental sciences GE1-350 Geology QE1-996.5 article 2019 ftdoajarticles https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-13-1089-2019 2022-12-31T14:41:28Z Ice-wedge polygons are common features of lowland tundra in the continuous permafrost zone and prone to rapid degradation through melting of ground ice. There are many interrelated processes involved in ice-wedge thermokarst and it is a major challenge to quantify their influence on the stability of the permafrost underlying the landscape. In this study we used a numerical modelling approach to investigate the degradation of ice wedges with a focus on the influence of hydrological conditions. Our study area was Samoylov Island in the Lena River delta of northern Siberia, for which we had in situ measurements to evaluate the model. The tailored version of the CryoGrid 3 land surface model was capable of simulating the changing microtopography of polygonal tundra and also regarded lateral fluxes of heat, water, and snow. We demonstrated that the approach is capable of simulating ice-wedge degradation and the associated transition from a low-centred to a high-centred polygonal microtopography. The model simulations showed ice-wedge degradation under recent climatic conditions of the study area, irrespective of hydrological conditions. However, we found that wetter conditions lead to an earlier onset of degradation and cause more rapid ground subsidence. We set our findings in correspondence to observed types of ice-wedge polygons in the study area and hypothesized on remaining discrepancies between modelled and observed ice-wedge thermokarst activity. Our quantitative approach provides a valuable complement to previous, more qualitative and conceptual, descriptions of the possible pathways of ice-wedge polygon evolution. We concluded that our study is a blueprint for investigating thermokarst landforms and marks a step forward in understanding the complex interrelationships between various processes shaping ice-rich permafrost landscapes. Article in Journal/Newspaper Ice lena river permafrost The Cryosphere Thermokarst Tundra wedge* Siberia Directory of Open Access Journals: DOAJ Articles The Cryosphere 13 4 1089 1123 |
institution |
Open Polar |
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Directory of Open Access Journals: DOAJ Articles |
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ftdoajarticles |
language |
English |
topic |
Environmental sciences GE1-350 Geology QE1-996.5 |
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Environmental sciences GE1-350 Geology QE1-996.5 J. Nitzbon M. Langer S. Westermann L. Martin K. S. Aas J. Boike Pathways of ice-wedge degradation in polygonal tundra under different hydrological conditions |
topic_facet |
Environmental sciences GE1-350 Geology QE1-996.5 |
description |
Ice-wedge polygons are common features of lowland tundra in the continuous permafrost zone and prone to rapid degradation through melting of ground ice. There are many interrelated processes involved in ice-wedge thermokarst and it is a major challenge to quantify their influence on the stability of the permafrost underlying the landscape. In this study we used a numerical modelling approach to investigate the degradation of ice wedges with a focus on the influence of hydrological conditions. Our study area was Samoylov Island in the Lena River delta of northern Siberia, for which we had in situ measurements to evaluate the model. The tailored version of the CryoGrid 3 land surface model was capable of simulating the changing microtopography of polygonal tundra and also regarded lateral fluxes of heat, water, and snow. We demonstrated that the approach is capable of simulating ice-wedge degradation and the associated transition from a low-centred to a high-centred polygonal microtopography. The model simulations showed ice-wedge degradation under recent climatic conditions of the study area, irrespective of hydrological conditions. However, we found that wetter conditions lead to an earlier onset of degradation and cause more rapid ground subsidence. We set our findings in correspondence to observed types of ice-wedge polygons in the study area and hypothesized on remaining discrepancies between modelled and observed ice-wedge thermokarst activity. Our quantitative approach provides a valuable complement to previous, more qualitative and conceptual, descriptions of the possible pathways of ice-wedge polygon evolution. We concluded that our study is a blueprint for investigating thermokarst landforms and marks a step forward in understanding the complex interrelationships between various processes shaping ice-rich permafrost landscapes. |
format |
Article in Journal/Newspaper |
author |
J. Nitzbon M. Langer S. Westermann L. Martin K. S. Aas J. Boike |
author_facet |
J. Nitzbon M. Langer S. Westermann L. Martin K. S. Aas J. Boike |
author_sort |
J. Nitzbon |
title |
Pathways of ice-wedge degradation in polygonal tundra under different hydrological conditions |
title_short |
Pathways of ice-wedge degradation in polygonal tundra under different hydrological conditions |
title_full |
Pathways of ice-wedge degradation in polygonal tundra under different hydrological conditions |
title_fullStr |
Pathways of ice-wedge degradation in polygonal tundra under different hydrological conditions |
title_full_unstemmed |
Pathways of ice-wedge degradation in polygonal tundra under different hydrological conditions |
title_sort |
pathways of ice-wedge degradation in polygonal tundra under different hydrological conditions |
publisher |
Copernicus Publications |
publishDate |
2019 |
url |
https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-13-1089-2019 https://doaj.org/article/3021c77782b94f8189e61d81f6876a5d |
genre |
Ice lena river permafrost The Cryosphere Thermokarst Tundra wedge* Siberia |
genre_facet |
Ice lena river permafrost The Cryosphere Thermokarst Tundra wedge* Siberia |
op_source |
The Cryosphere, Vol 13, Pp 1089-1123 (2019) |
op_relation |
https://www.the-cryosphere.net/13/1089/2019/tc-13-1089-2019.pdf https://doaj.org/toc/1994-0416 https://doaj.org/toc/1994-0424 doi:10.5194/tc-13-1089-2019 1994-0416 1994-0424 https://doaj.org/article/3021c77782b94f8189e61d81f6876a5d |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-13-1089-2019 |
container_title |
The Cryosphere |
container_volume |
13 |
container_issue |
4 |
container_start_page |
1089 |
op_container_end_page |
1123 |
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