Fire-induced changes in the dielectric constant of lichens in plateau palsas of the Nadym-Pur interfluve

• Main Authors: Kochetkova, Tatiana D., Shavrina, Uliana Yu., Murashkin, Vladislav S., Nikitkin, Viktor A., Volkova, Maria A., Kolesnichenko, Larisa G.
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: 2023
• Subjects: Complex permittivity; dielectric constant; forest fires; peatlands; plateau palsa; Western Siberia; Nadym; palsa; palsas; permafrost; Sibirica; Siberia
• Online Access: https://zenodo.org/record/8232611; https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.8232611

The paper analyzed the complex permittivity of lichens of the genus Cladonia sampled from areas disturbed by fire and from undisturbed plateau palsas in the Nadym-Pur interfluve, Western Siberia. The complex permittivity at microwave-frequency range was estimated by coaxial line measurement using an Agilent E8363B vector network analyzer. The real and imaginary parts of the permittivity of lichens in the disturbed areas were found to be significantly lower than ones of lichens from undisturbed areas. The linear dependence of the complex permittivity on water content is more pronounced in the lichen sampled from the disturbed areas. The obtained patterns can be used for radargram interpretation. The study was supported by the Russian Science Foundation, project No. 23-27-00249 "Physical properties of the moss-lichen cover of peatlands in the permafrost zone of Western Siberia: changes caused by natural and anthropogenic factors".