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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Online Access: | http://hdl.handle.net/10852/111301 https://doi.org/10.1029/2023GL108020 |
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ftoslouniv:oai:www.duo.uio.no:10852/111301 2024-09-09T19:28:39+00:00 Rapid Ice‐Wedge Collapse and Permafrost Carbon Loss Triggered by Increased Snow Depth and Surface Runoff ENEngelskEnglishRapid Ice‐Wedge Collapse and Permafrost Carbon Loss Triggered by Increased Snow Depth and Surface Runoff Parmentier, Frans-Jan W. Nilsen, Lennart Tømmervik, Hans Meisel, Ove H. Bröder, Lisa Vonk, Jorien E. Westermann, Sebastian Semenchuk, Phillip R. Cooper, Elisabeth J. 2024-06-07T11:56:42Z http://hdl.handle.net/10852/111301 https://doi.org/10.1029/2023GL108020 EN eng NFR/230970 ANDRE/FRAM- Terrestrial flagship 362255 ANDRE/FRAM- Terrestrial flagship 642018 Parmentier, Frans-Jan W. Nilsen, Lennart Tømmervik, Hans Meisel, Ove H. Bröder, Lisa Vonk, Jorien E. Westermann, Sebastian Semenchuk, Phillip R. Cooper, Elisabeth J. . Rapid Ice‐Wedge Collapse and Permafrost Carbon Loss Triggered by Increased Snow Depth and Surface Runoff. Geophysical Research Letters. 2024 http://hdl.handle.net/10852/111301 2274403 info:ofi/fmt:kev:mtx:ctx&ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info:ofi/fmt:kev:mtx:journal&rft.jtitle=Geophysical Research Letters&rft.volume=&rft.spage=&rft.date=2024 Geophysical Research Letters 51 11 https://doi.org/10.1029/2023GL108020 Attribution 4.0 International https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ 0094-8276 VDP::Basale biofag: 470 Journal article Tidsskriftartikkel Peer reviewed PublishedVersion 2024 ftoslouniv https://doi.org/10.1029/2023GL108020 2024-08-05T14:09:29Z 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. Snow cover is steadily disappearing as a result of climate change, but in areas that remain below 0°C we can still expect an increase in snow depth in the middle of winter. Since snow acts akin to a blanket, this warms the soil and accelerates the thaw of permafrost—thereby potentially contributing to carbon release from these frozen soils. Ice wedges, which are typical for permafrost landscapes, are particularly vulnerable to thaw because they hold a large amount of ice. When this ice melts, the surface sinks down, and soil carbon may be lost. In this study, we show how experimentally raised snow cover triggered the collapse of several ice wedges, not only through a warming effect of the snow but also due to an increase in the flow of water through the ice wedge network. As a result, we estimate that 1.1–3.3 tons of carbon were removed from this location, of which a portion could have entered the atmosphere as CO2. We emphasize the importance of studying the interactions among snow, runoff, and permafrost thaw to better understand how this may affect the release of greenhouse gases to the ... Article in Journal/Newspaper Arctic Climate change Ice permafrost Svalbard wedge* Universitet i Oslo: Digitale utgivelser ved UiO (DUO) Arctic Svalbard The Gully ENVELOPE(-57.731,-57.731,51.567,51.567) Geophysical Research Letters 51 11 |
institution |
Open Polar |
collection |
Universitet i Oslo: Digitale utgivelser ved UiO (DUO) |
op_collection_id |
ftoslouniv |
language |
English |
topic |
VDP::Basale biofag: 470 |
spellingShingle |
VDP::Basale biofag: 470 Parmentier, Frans-Jan W. Nilsen, Lennart Tømmervik, Hans Meisel, Ove H. Bröder, Lisa Vonk, Jorien E. Westermann, Sebastian Semenchuk, Phillip R. Cooper, Elisabeth J. Rapid Ice‐Wedge Collapse and Permafrost Carbon Loss Triggered by Increased Snow Depth and Surface Runoff |
topic_facet |
VDP::Basale biofag: 470 |
description |
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. Snow cover is steadily disappearing as a result of climate change, but in areas that remain below 0°C we can still expect an increase in snow depth in the middle of winter. Since snow acts akin to a blanket, this warms the soil and accelerates the thaw of permafrost—thereby potentially contributing to carbon release from these frozen soils. Ice wedges, which are typical for permafrost landscapes, are particularly vulnerable to thaw because they hold a large amount of ice. When this ice melts, the surface sinks down, and soil carbon may be lost. In this study, we show how experimentally raised snow cover triggered the collapse of several ice wedges, not only through a warming effect of the snow but also due to an increase in the flow of water through the ice wedge network. As a result, we estimate that 1.1–3.3 tons of carbon were removed from this location, of which a portion could have entered the atmosphere as CO2. We emphasize the importance of studying the interactions among snow, runoff, and permafrost thaw to better understand how this may affect the release of greenhouse gases to the ... |
format |
Article in Journal/Newspaper |
author |
Parmentier, Frans-Jan W. Nilsen, Lennart Tømmervik, Hans Meisel, Ove H. Bröder, Lisa Vonk, Jorien E. Westermann, Sebastian Semenchuk, Phillip R. Cooper, Elisabeth J. |
author_facet |
Parmentier, Frans-Jan W. Nilsen, Lennart Tømmervik, Hans Meisel, Ove H. Bröder, Lisa Vonk, Jorien E. Westermann, Sebastian Semenchuk, Phillip R. Cooper, Elisabeth J. |
author_sort |
Parmentier, Frans-Jan W. |
title |
Rapid Ice‐Wedge Collapse and Permafrost Carbon Loss Triggered by Increased Snow Depth and Surface Runoff |
title_short |
Rapid Ice‐Wedge Collapse and Permafrost Carbon Loss Triggered by Increased Snow Depth and Surface Runoff |
title_full |
Rapid Ice‐Wedge Collapse and Permafrost Carbon Loss Triggered by Increased Snow Depth and Surface Runoff |
title_fullStr |
Rapid Ice‐Wedge Collapse and Permafrost Carbon Loss Triggered by Increased Snow Depth and Surface Runoff |
title_full_unstemmed |
Rapid Ice‐Wedge Collapse and Permafrost Carbon Loss Triggered by Increased Snow Depth and Surface Runoff |
title_sort |
rapid ice‐wedge collapse and permafrost carbon loss triggered by increased snow depth and surface runoff |
publishDate |
2024 |
url |
http://hdl.handle.net/10852/111301 https://doi.org/10.1029/2023GL108020 |
long_lat |
ENVELOPE(-57.731,-57.731,51.567,51.567) |
geographic |
Arctic Svalbard The Gully |
geographic_facet |
Arctic Svalbard The Gully |
genre |
Arctic Climate change Ice permafrost Svalbard wedge* |
genre_facet |
Arctic Climate change Ice permafrost Svalbard wedge* |
op_source |
0094-8276 |
op_relation |
NFR/230970 ANDRE/FRAM- Terrestrial flagship 362255 ANDRE/FRAM- Terrestrial flagship 642018 Parmentier, Frans-Jan W. Nilsen, Lennart Tømmervik, Hans Meisel, Ove H. Bröder, Lisa Vonk, Jorien E. Westermann, Sebastian Semenchuk, Phillip R. Cooper, Elisabeth J. . Rapid Ice‐Wedge Collapse and Permafrost Carbon Loss Triggered by Increased Snow Depth and Surface Runoff. Geophysical Research Letters. 2024 http://hdl.handle.net/10852/111301 2274403 info:ofi/fmt:kev:mtx:ctx&ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info:ofi/fmt:kev:mtx:journal&rft.jtitle=Geophysical Research Letters&rft.volume=&rft.spage=&rft.date=2024 Geophysical Research Letters 51 11 https://doi.org/10.1029/2023GL108020 |
op_rights |
Attribution 4.0 International https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.1029/2023GL108020 |
container_title |
Geophysical Research Letters |
container_volume |
51 |
container_issue |
11 |
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1809897978141343744 |