| 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. |
| Authors |
Benjamin Jones  , Mikhail Kanevskiy , Andrew D. Parsekian  , Helena Bergstedt , Melissa Ward Jones , R. C. Rangel , Kenneth M. Hinkel , Yuri Shur
|
| Journal Info |
American Geophysical Union | Geophysical Research Letters , vol: 50
, iss: 22
|
| Publication Date |
11/22/2023 |
| ISSN |
0094-8276 |
Type |
article |
| Open Access |
hybrid
|
| DOI |
https://doi.org/10.1029/2023gl105552 |
| Keywords |
Thawing (Score: 0.509378) , Permafrost (Score: 0.505847) , Antarctic Comparison (Score: 0.500481)
|
