Sub-permafrost methane seepage from open-system pingos in Svalbard
Methane release from beneath lowland permafrost represents an important uncertainty in the Arctic greenhouse gas budget. Our current knowledge is arguably best developed in settings where permafrost is being inundated by rising sea level, which means much of the methane is oxidised in the water colu...
Published in: | The Cryosphere |
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Copernicus Publications
2020
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Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-14-3829-2020 https://tc.copernicus.org/articles/14/3829/2020/tc-14-3829-2020.pdf https://doaj.org/article/b4c7751474f84f94b7022d0fc13e8fbf |
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fttriple:oai:gotriple.eu:oai:doaj.org/article:b4c7751474f84f94b7022d0fc13e8fbf 2023-05-15T13:05:44+02:00 Sub-permafrost methane seepage from open-system pingos in Svalbard A. J. Hodson A. Nowak M. T. Hornum K. Senger K. Redeker H. H. Christiansen S. Jessen P. Betlem S. F. Thornton A. V. Turchyn S. Olaussen A. Marca 2020-11-01 https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-14-3829-2020 https://tc.copernicus.org/articles/14/3829/2020/tc-14-3829-2020.pdf https://doaj.org/article/b4c7751474f84f94b7022d0fc13e8fbf en eng Copernicus Publications doi:10.5194/tc-14-3829-2020 1994-0416 1994-0424 https://tc.copernicus.org/articles/14/3829/2020/tc-14-3829-2020.pdf https://doaj.org/article/b4c7751474f84f94b7022d0fc13e8fbf undefined The Cryosphere, Vol 14, Pp 3829-3842 (2020) geo envir Journal Article https://vocabularies.coar-repositories.org/resource_types/c_6501/ 2020 fttriple https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-14-3829-2020 2023-01-22T17:53:26Z Methane release from beneath lowland permafrost represents an important uncertainty in the Arctic greenhouse gas budget. Our current knowledge is arguably best developed in settings where permafrost is being inundated by rising sea level, which means much of the methane is oxidised in the water column before it reaches the atmosphere. Here we provide a different process perspective that is appropriate for Arctic fjord valleys where local deglaciation causes isostatic uplift to out pace rising sea level. We describe how the uplift induces permafrost aggradation in former marine sediments, whose pressurisation results in methane escape directly to the atmosphere via groundwater springs. In Adventdalen, central Spitsbergen, we show how the springs are historic features responsible for the formation of open-system pingos and capable of discharging brackish waters enriched with high concentrations of mostly biogenic methane (average 18 mg L−1). Thermodynamic calculations show that the methane concentrations sometimes marginally exceed the solubility limit for methane in water at 0 ∘C (41 mg L−1). Year-round emissions from the pingos are described. During winter, rapid methane loss to the atmosphere occurs following outburst events from beneath an ice blister. During summer, highly variable emissions occur due to complex surface processes at the seepage point and its inundation by surface runoff. In spite of this complexity, our observations confirm that sub-permafrost methane migration deserves more attention for the improved forecasting of Arctic greenhouse gas emissions. Article in Journal/Newspaper Adventdalen Arctic Ice permafrost Svalbard The Cryosphere Spitsbergen Unknown Adventdalen ENVELOPE(16.264,16.264,78.181,78.181) Arctic Svalbard The Cryosphere 14 11 3829 3842 |
institution |
Open Polar |
collection |
Unknown |
op_collection_id |
fttriple |
language |
English |
topic |
geo envir |
spellingShingle |
geo envir A. J. Hodson A. Nowak M. T. Hornum K. Senger K. Redeker H. H. Christiansen S. Jessen P. Betlem S. F. Thornton A. V. Turchyn S. Olaussen A. Marca Sub-permafrost methane seepage from open-system pingos in Svalbard |
topic_facet |
geo envir |
description |
Methane release from beneath lowland permafrost represents an important uncertainty in the Arctic greenhouse gas budget. Our current knowledge is arguably best developed in settings where permafrost is being inundated by rising sea level, which means much of the methane is oxidised in the water column before it reaches the atmosphere. Here we provide a different process perspective that is appropriate for Arctic fjord valleys where local deglaciation causes isostatic uplift to out pace rising sea level. We describe how the uplift induces permafrost aggradation in former marine sediments, whose pressurisation results in methane escape directly to the atmosphere via groundwater springs. In Adventdalen, central Spitsbergen, we show how the springs are historic features responsible for the formation of open-system pingos and capable of discharging brackish waters enriched with high concentrations of mostly biogenic methane (average 18 mg L−1). Thermodynamic calculations show that the methane concentrations sometimes marginally exceed the solubility limit for methane in water at 0 ∘C (41 mg L−1). Year-round emissions from the pingos are described. During winter, rapid methane loss to the atmosphere occurs following outburst events from beneath an ice blister. During summer, highly variable emissions occur due to complex surface processes at the seepage point and its inundation by surface runoff. In spite of this complexity, our observations confirm that sub-permafrost methane migration deserves more attention for the improved forecasting of Arctic greenhouse gas emissions. |
format |
Article in Journal/Newspaper |
author |
A. J. Hodson A. Nowak M. T. Hornum K. Senger K. Redeker H. H. Christiansen S. Jessen P. Betlem S. F. Thornton A. V. Turchyn S. Olaussen A. Marca |
author_facet |
A. J. Hodson A. Nowak M. T. Hornum K. Senger K. Redeker H. H. Christiansen S. Jessen P. Betlem S. F. Thornton A. V. Turchyn S. Olaussen A. Marca |
author_sort |
A. J. Hodson |
title |
Sub-permafrost methane seepage from open-system pingos in Svalbard |
title_short |
Sub-permafrost methane seepage from open-system pingos in Svalbard |
title_full |
Sub-permafrost methane seepage from open-system pingos in Svalbard |
title_fullStr |
Sub-permafrost methane seepage from open-system pingos in Svalbard |
title_full_unstemmed |
Sub-permafrost methane seepage from open-system pingos in Svalbard |
title_sort |
sub-permafrost methane seepage from open-system pingos in svalbard |
publisher |
Copernicus Publications |
publishDate |
2020 |
url |
https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-14-3829-2020 https://tc.copernicus.org/articles/14/3829/2020/tc-14-3829-2020.pdf https://doaj.org/article/b4c7751474f84f94b7022d0fc13e8fbf |
long_lat |
ENVELOPE(16.264,16.264,78.181,78.181) |
geographic |
Adventdalen Arctic Svalbard |
geographic_facet |
Adventdalen Arctic Svalbard |
genre |
Adventdalen Arctic Ice permafrost Svalbard The Cryosphere Spitsbergen |
genre_facet |
Adventdalen Arctic Ice permafrost Svalbard The Cryosphere Spitsbergen |
op_source |
The Cryosphere, Vol 14, Pp 3829-3842 (2020) |
op_relation |
doi:10.5194/tc-14-3829-2020 1994-0416 1994-0424 https://tc.copernicus.org/articles/14/3829/2020/tc-14-3829-2020.pdf https://doaj.org/article/b4c7751474f84f94b7022d0fc13e8fbf |
op_rights |
undefined |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-14-3829-2020 |
container_title |
The Cryosphere |
container_volume |
14 |
container_issue |
11 |
container_start_page |
3829 |
op_container_end_page |
3842 |
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1766392316889661440 |