Accelerated permafrost thaw and increased drainage in the active layer: Responses from experimental surface alteration
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In a field experiment conducted in Qaanaaq, Greenland, the surface topography was altered by adding 35 cm soil in one treatment, removing 33 cm in another, while an untreated plot measuring 10 × 10 m was maintained for comparison purposes. The temperature and water content of these plots were monitored in the three following years. Based on field measurements, a 1-dimensional model was set up in CoupModel to simulate the field experiment and quantify changes in the thickness of the saturated zone and drainage as a consequence of the treatment.
Both field observations and simulations show that the addition and removal of soil changed the thickness of the saturated layer in the active layer, which changed the thermal properties in the soil and, thus, the response of thawing or recovery of permafrost. The simulations showed that during the summer depressions there were higher water contents, which accelerated warming of the soil and increased permafrost thawing of 35.7 cm in depth. In contrast, raising the soil surface aggregated only 19.8 cm of permafrost due to higher buffering from lower water contents. Changed active layer thickness altered the thickness of the saturated zone, leading to changed drainage patterns: In depressions, first drainage occurs three days earlier, and maximum daily drainage is increased by 154% as compared to ambient conditions. In contrast, raising the surface delayed the runoff from the plot by up to eight days, and decreased the maximum daily drainage to 72%. Effects of the treatment were most pronounced during the first year after the experiment, with diminishing effects during the consecutive year as the system equilibrated to the new state. Results from our study can advance our understanding of impacts of both natural and human-induced surface alterations on active layer thickening and water movement in permafrost-affected areas, which ultimately affect the entire ecosystem and the living conditions for local communities.
| Originalsprog | Engelsk |
|---|---|
| Artikelnummer | 103899 |
| Tidsskrift | Cold Regions Science and Technology |
| Vol/bind | 212 |
| Antal sider | 15 |
| ISSN | 0165-232X |
| DOI | |
| Status | Udgivet - 2023 |
Bibliografisk note
Funding Information:
This work was supported by the Danish National Research Foundation (Center for Permafrost, CENPERM DNRF100). W. Z. was supported by the grants from Swedish Research Council VR ( 2020–05338 ) and Swedish National Space Agency ( 209/19 ). We thank ASIAQ, especially Kirsty Langley, for providing the climate data from the Airport Qaanaaq. We thank Per-Erik Jansson for the time to discuss the model set up and suggest how to improve the model results. We appreciate the help of the students of the 2017 DTU ARTEK field group that assisted with collecting many samples. We are grateful to the many local people in Qaanaaq that were hospitable and helpful, especially to Kim Petersen who helped with accommodation and the installation of the field experiment and Dan D. Norman for allowing us to engage the local school in parts of the project. We appreciate the constructive feedback by two anonymous reviewers and editors on previous versions of the manuscript. This study is a contribution to the strategic research areas Modeling the Regional and Global Earth System (MERGE) and Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services in a Changing Climate (BECC) at Lund University.
Funding Information:
This work was supported by the Danish National Research Foundation (Center for Permafrost, CENPERM DNRF100). W. Z. was supported by the grants from Swedish Research Council VR (2020–05338) and Swedish National Space Agency (209/19). We thank ASIAQ, especially Kirsty Langley, for providing the climate data from the Airport Qaanaaq. We thank Per-Erik Jansson for the time to discuss the model set up and suggest how to improve the model results. We appreciate the help of the students of the 2017 DTU ARTEK field group that assisted with collecting many samples. We are grateful to the many local people in Qaanaaq that were hospitable and helpful, especially to Kim Petersen who helped with accommodation and the installation of the field experiment and Dan D. Norman for allowing us to engage the local school in parts of the project. We appreciate the constructive feedback by two anonymous reviewers and editors on previous versions of the manuscript. This study is a contribution to the strategic research areas Modeling the Regional and Global Earth System (MERGE) and Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services in a Changing Climate (BECC) at Lund University.
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© 2023 The Authors
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