Document Type
Article
Publication Date
11-28-2023
Department
Department of Geological and Mining Engineering and Sciences
Abstract
Permafrost warming and degradation is well documented across the Arctic. However, observation- and model-based studies typically consider thaw to occur at 0°C, neglecting the widespread occurrence of saline permafrost in coastal plain regions. In this study, we document rapid saline permafrost thaw below a shallow arctic lake. Over the 15-year period, the lakebed subsided by 0.6 m as ice-rich, saline permafrost thawed. Repeat transient electromagnetic measurements show that near-surface bulk sediment electrical conductivity increased by 198% between 2016 and 2022. Analysis of wintertime Synthetic Aperture Radar satellite imagery indicates a transition from a bedfast to a floating ice lake with brackish water due to saline permafrost thaw. The regime shift likely contributed to the 65% increase in thermokarst lake lateral expansion rates. Our results indicate that thawing saline permafrost may be contributing to an increase in landscape change rates in the Arctic faster than anticipated.
Publication Title
Geophysical Research Letters
Recommended Citation
Jones, B.,
Kanevskiy, M.,
Parsekian, A.,
Bergstedt, H.,
Ward Jones, M.,
Rangel, R.,
Hinkel, K.,
&
Shur, Y.
(2023).
Rapid Saline Permafrost Thaw Below a Shallow Thermokarst Lake in Arctic Alaska.
Geophysical Research Letters,
50(22).
http://doi.org/10.1029/2023GL105552
Retrieved from: https://digitalcommons.mtu.edu/michigantech-p2/250
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 International License.
Version
Publisher's PDF
Publisher's Statement
© 2023. The Authors. Publisher’s version of record: https://doi.org/10.1029/2023GL105552