Onshore thermokarst primes subsea permafrost degradation


Contact
michael.angelopoulos [ at ] awi.de

Abstract

The response of permafrost to submergence can vary between ice-rich late Pleistocene deposits and the thermokarst basins that thawed out during the Holocene. We hypothesize that inundated Alases offshore thaw faster than submerged Yedoma. To test this hypothesis, we estimated depths to the top of ice-bearing permafrost offshore of the Bykovsky Peninsula in northeast Siberia using electrical resistivity surveys. The surveys traversed submerged lagoon deposits, drained and refrozen Alas deposits, and undisturbed Yedoma from the coastline to 373 m offshore. While the permafrost degradation rates of the submerged Yedoma were in the range of similar sites, the submerged Alas permafrost degradation rates were up to 170% faster. Given the abundance of thermokarst basins and lakes along parts of the Arctic coastline, its effect on subsea permafrost degradation must be similarly prevalent. Remote sensing analyses suggest that 54% of lagoons wider than 500 m originated in thermokarst basins.



Item Type
Article
Authors
Divisions
Primary Division
Programs
Primary Topic
Helmholtz Cross Cutting Activity (2021-2027)
N/A
Research Networks
Publication Status
Published
Eprint ID
54596
DOI 10.1029/2021GL093881

Cite as
Angelopoulos, M. , Overduin, P. P. , Jenrich, M. , Nitze, I. , Günther, F. , Strauss, J. , Westermann, S. , Schirrmeister, L. , Kholodov, A. L. , Krautblatter, M. , Grigoriev, M. N. and Grosse, G. (2021): Onshore thermokarst primes subsea permafrost degradation , Geophysical Research Letters . doi: 10.1029/2021GL093881


Download
[thumbnail of onshore_thermokarst_primes_subsea_permafrost_degradation.pdf]
Preview
PDF
onshore_thermokarst_primes_subsea_permafrost_degradation.pdf

Download (2MB) | Preview

Share
Add to AnyAdd to TwitterAdd to FacebookAdd to LinkedinAdd to PinterestAdd to Email


Citation

Geographical region

Research Platforms

Campaigns
Arctic Land Expeditions > RU-Land_2017_Lena_Bykovsky

Funded by
info:eu-repo/grantAgreement/EC/H2020/773421


Actions
Edit Item Edit Item