Accelerated thawing of subarctic peatland permafrost over the last 50 years
In this study we provide a quantification of the main patterns of change of a subarctic peatland caused by permafrost decay monitored between 1957 and 2003. Up-thrusting of the peatland surface due to permafrost aggradation during the Little Ice Age resulted in the formation of an extensive peat pla...
Published in: | Geophysical Research Letters |
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American Geophysical Union
2004
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Online Access: | http://hdl.handle.net/2434/37280 https://doi.org/10.1029/2004GL020358 |
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ftunivmilanoair:oai:air.unimi.it:2434/37280 2024-04-21T08:04:28+00:00 Accelerated thawing of subarctic peatland permafrost over the last 50 years S. Payette A. Delwaide M. Beauchemin M. Caccianiga S. Payette A. Delwaide M. Caccianiga M. Beauchemin 2004 http://hdl.handle.net/2434/37280 https://doi.org/10.1029/2004GL020358 eng eng American Geophysical Union info:eu-repo/semantics/altIdentifier/wos/WOS:000224126200001 volume:31 issue:18 firstpage:L18208 lastpage:4 journal:GEOPHYSICAL RESEARCH LETTERS http://hdl.handle.net/2434/37280 doi:10.1029/2004GL020358 info:eu-repo/semantics/altIdentifier/scopus/2-s2.0-10644225232 1630 Global change: Impact phenomena 1823 Hydrology: Frozen ground 1824 Hydrology: Geomorpbology (1625) 1851 Hydrology: Plant ecology 1854 Hydrology: Precipitation (3354) info:eu-repo/semantics/article 2004 ftunivmilanoair https://doi.org/10.1029/2004GL020358 2024-03-27T01:47:22Z In this study we provide a quantification of the main patterns of change of a subarctic peatland caused by permafrost decay monitored between 1957 and 2003. Up-thrusting of the peatland surface due to permafrost aggradation during the Little Ice Age resulted in the formation of an extensive peat plateau that gradually fragmented into residual palsas from the 19th century to the present. Only about 18% of the original surface occupied by permafrost was thawed in 1957, whereas only 13% was still surviving in 2003. Rapid permafrost melting over the last 50 years caused the concurrent formation of thermokarst ponds and fen-bog vegetation with rapid peat accumulation through natural successional processes of terrestrialization. The main climatic driver for accelerated permafrost thawing was snow precipitation which increased from 1957 to present while annual and seasonal temperatures remained relatively stable until about the mid-1990s when annual temperature rose well above the mean. Contrary to current expectations, the melting of permafrost caused by recent climate change does not transform the peatland to a carbon-source ecosystem as rapid terrestrialization exacerbates carbon-sink conditions and tends to balance the local carbon budget. Article in Journal/Newspaper Ice palsas Peat Peat plateau permafrost Subarctic Thermokarst The University of Milan: Archivio Istituzionale della Ricerca (AIR) Geophysical Research Letters 31 18 |
institution |
Open Polar |
collection |
The University of Milan: Archivio Istituzionale della Ricerca (AIR) |
op_collection_id |
ftunivmilanoair |
language |
English |
topic |
1630 Global change: Impact phenomena 1823 Hydrology: Frozen ground 1824 Hydrology: Geomorpbology (1625) 1851 Hydrology: Plant ecology 1854 Hydrology: Precipitation (3354) |
spellingShingle |
1630 Global change: Impact phenomena 1823 Hydrology: Frozen ground 1824 Hydrology: Geomorpbology (1625) 1851 Hydrology: Plant ecology 1854 Hydrology: Precipitation (3354) S. Payette A. Delwaide M. Beauchemin M. Caccianiga Accelerated thawing of subarctic peatland permafrost over the last 50 years |
topic_facet |
1630 Global change: Impact phenomena 1823 Hydrology: Frozen ground 1824 Hydrology: Geomorpbology (1625) 1851 Hydrology: Plant ecology 1854 Hydrology: Precipitation (3354) |
description |
In this study we provide a quantification of the main patterns of change of a subarctic peatland caused by permafrost decay monitored between 1957 and 2003. Up-thrusting of the peatland surface due to permafrost aggradation during the Little Ice Age resulted in the formation of an extensive peat plateau that gradually fragmented into residual palsas from the 19th century to the present. Only about 18% of the original surface occupied by permafrost was thawed in 1957, whereas only 13% was still surviving in 2003. Rapid permafrost melting over the last 50 years caused the concurrent formation of thermokarst ponds and fen-bog vegetation with rapid peat accumulation through natural successional processes of terrestrialization. The main climatic driver for accelerated permafrost thawing was snow precipitation which increased from 1957 to present while annual and seasonal temperatures remained relatively stable until about the mid-1990s when annual temperature rose well above the mean. Contrary to current expectations, the melting of permafrost caused by recent climate change does not transform the peatland to a carbon-source ecosystem as rapid terrestrialization exacerbates carbon-sink conditions and tends to balance the local carbon budget. |
author2 |
S. Payette A. Delwaide M. Caccianiga M. Beauchemin |
format |
Article in Journal/Newspaper |
author |
S. Payette A. Delwaide M. Beauchemin M. Caccianiga |
author_facet |
S. Payette A. Delwaide M. Beauchemin M. Caccianiga |
author_sort |
S. Payette |
title |
Accelerated thawing of subarctic peatland permafrost over the last 50 years |
title_short |
Accelerated thawing of subarctic peatland permafrost over the last 50 years |
title_full |
Accelerated thawing of subarctic peatland permafrost over the last 50 years |
title_fullStr |
Accelerated thawing of subarctic peatland permafrost over the last 50 years |
title_full_unstemmed |
Accelerated thawing of subarctic peatland permafrost over the last 50 years |
title_sort |
accelerated thawing of subarctic peatland permafrost over the last 50 years |
publisher |
American Geophysical Union |
publishDate |
2004 |
url |
http://hdl.handle.net/2434/37280 https://doi.org/10.1029/2004GL020358 |
genre |
Ice palsas Peat Peat plateau permafrost Subarctic Thermokarst |
genre_facet |
Ice palsas Peat Peat plateau permafrost Subarctic Thermokarst |
op_relation |
info:eu-repo/semantics/altIdentifier/wos/WOS:000224126200001 volume:31 issue:18 firstpage:L18208 lastpage:4 journal:GEOPHYSICAL RESEARCH LETTERS http://hdl.handle.net/2434/37280 doi:10.1029/2004GL020358 info:eu-repo/semantics/altIdentifier/scopus/2-s2.0-10644225232 |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.1029/2004GL020358 |
container_title |
Geophysical Research Letters |
container_volume |
31 |
container_issue |
18 |
_version_ |
1796944057081004032 |