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Pan-Arctic ice-wedge degradation in warming permafrost and its influence on tundra hydrology

Nature Geoscience volume 9, pages 312–318 (2016)Cite this article

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Abstract

Ice wedges are common features of the subsurface in permafrost regions. They develop by repeated frost cracking and ice vein growth over hundreds to thousands of years. Ice-wedge formation causes the archetypal polygonal patterns seen in tundra across the Arctic landscape. Here we use field and remote sensing observations to document polygon succession due to ice-wedge degradation and trough development in ten Arctic localities over sub-decadal timescales. Initial thaw drains polygon centres and forms disconnected troughs that hold isolated ponds. Continued ice-wedge melting leads to increased trough connectivity and an overall draining of the landscape. We find that melting at the tops of ice wedges over recent decades and subsequent decimetre-scale ground subsidence is a widespread Arctic phenomenon. Although permafrost temperatures have been increasing gradually, we find that ice-wedge degradation is occurring on sub-decadal timescales. Our hydrological model simulations show that advanced ice-wedge degradation can significantly alter the water balance of lowland tundra by reducing inundation and increasing runoff, in particular due to changes in snow distribution as troughs form. We predict that ice-wedge degradation and the hydrological changes associated with the resulting differential ground subsidence will expand and amplify in rapidly warming permafrost regions.

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Figure 1: Observed recent ice-wedge degradation and a schematic of its hydrological impacts.
Figure 2: Thawing permafrost and ice-wedge tops, Isachsen, Canadian High Arctic.
Figure 3: Observed ice-wedge degradation using aerial photos, satellite imagery and change-detection analysis.
Figure 4: Measured snow distribution across polygons representing undegraded and advanced degradation stages, Barrow, Alaska.
Figure 5: Measured water levels in different ice-wedge polygon types, Barrow, Alaska.
Figure 6: Model experiments of runoff and inundation using differing polygon types and snow distribution.

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Acknowledgements

Financial assistance was provided by the Next-Generation Ecosystem Experiments (NGEE Arctic) project, which is supported by the Office of Biological and Environmental Research in the Department of Energy Office of Science (DE-AC02-05CH11231), National Science Foundation (OIA-1208927, DPP-1304271, PLR-1204263), Arctic Landscape Conservation Cooperative (ALCC2014-02), the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (26242026), European Research Council (ERC-338335), Carbon in Arctic Reservoirs Vulnerability Experiment (CARVE) of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration and via the PAGE21 project sponsored by the European Commission (FP7-ENV-2011, no. 282700). Recent high-resolution satellite imagery was provided by the Polar Geospatial Center, University of Minnesota. A. Chamberlain, A. Kholodov and R. Busey provided field and/or data processing support. M. Rohr assisted in designing the schematic figure. C. Tweedie, University of Texas El Paso provided the LiDAR DEM. R. Thoman at the National Ocean and Atmospheric Administration, Fairbanks, provided historical weather observations near Prudhoe Bay. The Arctic Region Supercomputing Center, University of Alaska Fairbanks, offered computational support. This work also used the Extreme Science and Engineering Discovery Environment (XSEDE), which is supported by National Science Foundation (ACI-1053575).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Water and Environmental Research Center, University of Alaska Fairbanks, 306 Tanana Loop, Fairbanks, Alaska 99775, USA

    Anna K. Liljedahl & Ken D. Tape

  2. Alfred Wegener Institute Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research, Telegrafenberg A6, 14473 Potsdam, Germany

    Julia Boike

  3. Department of Natural Resources, Division of Geological and Geophysical Surveys, 3354 College Road, Fairbanks, Alaska 99709, USA

    Ronald P. Daanen

  4. Melnikov Permafrost Institute, 36 Merzlotnaya Street, 677010 Yakutsk, Russia

    Alexander N. Fedorov

  5. ABR, Inc. Environmental Research and Services, PO Box 80410, Fairbanks, Alaska 99709, USA

    Gerald V. Frost

  6. Alfred Wegener Institute Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research, Telegrafenberg A45, 14473 Potsdam, Germany

    Guido Grosse

  7. International Arctic Research Center, University of Alaska Fairbanks, 930 Koyukuk Drive, Fairbanks, Alaska 99775, USA

    Larry D. Hinzman

  8. Institute of Arctic Climate and Environmental Research, Japan Agency for Marine-Earth Science and Technology, 2-15 Natsushima-machi, Yokosuka-city, Kanagawa 237-0061, Japan

    Yoshihiro Iijma

  9. Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, 101 12th Avenue, Fairbanks, Alaska 99701, USA

    Janet C. Jorgenson

  10. Komarov Botanical Institute, Russian Academy of Sciences, Popova Street 2, St Petersburg 197376, Russia

    Nadya Matveyeva

  11. Geosciences and Engineering Division, Southwest Research Institute, 6220 Culebra Road, San Antonio, Texas 78238, USA

    Marius Necsoiu

  12. Institute of Arctic Biology, University of Alaska Fairbanks, 902 North Koyukuk Drive, PO Box 757000, Fairbanks, Alaska 99775, USA

    Martha K. Raynolds & Donald A. Walker

  13. Geophysical Institute, University of Alaska Fairbanks, 903 Koyukuk Drive, Fairbanks, Alaska 99775, USA

    Vladimir E. Romanovsky

  14. Earth Cryosphere Institute, 86 Malygina Street, Tyumen 625000, Russia

    Vladimir E. Romanovsky

  15. Hydrology Software Consulting, Regensdorferstrasse 162, CH-8049 Zurich, Switzerland

    Jörg Schulla

  16. Earth and Environmental Sciences Division, Los Alamos National Laboratory, MS J495, Los Alamos, New Mexico 87545, USA

    Cathy J. Wilson

  17. Department of Environmental Geochemical Cycle Research, Japan Agency for Marine-Earth Science and Technology, 3173-25 Showa-machi, Kanazawa-ku, Yokohama-city, Kanagawa 236-0001, Japan

    Hironori Yabuki

  18. Department of Biology, San Diego State University, San Diego, California 92182, USA

    Donatella Zona

  19. Department of Animal and Plant Sciences, University of Sheffield, Sheffield S10 2TN, UK

    Donatella Zona

Authors
  1. Anna K. Liljedahl
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  19. Donatella Zona
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Contributions

A.K.L. designed the study and wrote the first draft. A.N.F., J.B., G.V.F., G.G., J.C.J., M.N., N.M., M.K.R., V.E.R., K.D.T. and D.A.W. provided imagery, photos, site descriptions and meteorology. M.N. performed change-detection image analyses. A.N.F., Y.I., V.E.R. and H.Y. provided permafrost temperatures. A.K.L., J.S. and R.P.D. performed the model experiments. L.D.H. provided elevation and soil moisture measurements and D.Z. the quality-controlled eddy covariance measurements. A.K.L. and C.J.W. designed and executed the water level and snow measurements. All authors contributed to data interpretation and writing of the manuscript.

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Anna K. Liljedahl.

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The authors declare no competing financial interests.

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Liljedahl, A., Boike, J., Daanen, R. et al. Pan-Arctic ice-wedge degradation in warming permafrost and its influence on tundra hydrology. Nature Geosci 9, 312–318 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1038/ngeo2674

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