Permafrost degradation, US Army

[Old Rocks]

Permafrost Degradation Research

Environmental Sciences Branch (ESB)
Permafrost Degradation on Army Training Lands in Interior Alaska

Thermokarst (indicating degraded permafrost) in a birch forest. The Problem:
Large areas of discontinuous and unstable permafrost in interior Alaska have been degrading for some time and are expected to continue to do so as the global climate warms.
Thawing of permafrost destroys the physical foundations of boreal forest ecosystems, causing dramatic changes in ecosystems and affecting the Army's ability to train at Fort Wainwright.
There is a major area of degrading permafrost and associated thermokarst features in the northwest corner of the Tanana Flats on Fort Wainwright.
We need to be able to understand and predict the rates, distribution, causes, and effects of this degradation.

 

[Old Rocks]

Wiley InterScience :: Session Cookies

Review Article
Impacts of permafrost degradation on arctic river biogeochemistry
Karen E. Frey 1 *, James W. McClelland 2
1Graduate School of Geography, Clark University, Worcester, Massachusetts, USA
2Marine Science Institute, University of Texas at Austin, Port Aransas, Texas, USA

email: Karen E. Frey ([email protected])

*Correspondence to Karen E. Frey, Graduate School of Geography, Clark University, Worcester, Massachusetts, USA.

Funded by:
NSF Arctic Sciences Division; Grant Number: 0804773, 0732586
NSF Arctic System Science Program; Grant Number: 0229302, 0436118

Keywords
permafrost • Arctic • biogeochemistry • DOC • DON • nitrate


Abstract
Over the next century, near-surface permafrost across the circumpolar Arctic is expected to degrade significantly, particularly for land areas south of 70°N. This is likely to cause widespread impacts on arctic hydrology, ecology, and trace gas emissions. Here, we present a review of recent studies investigating linkages between permafrost dynamics and river biogeochemistry in the Arctic, including consideration of likely impacts that warming-induced changes in permafrost may be having (or will have in the future) on the delivery of organic matter, inorganic nutrients, and major ions to the Arctic Ocean. These interacting processes can be highly complex and undoubtedly exhibit spatial and temporal variabilities associated with current permafrost conditions, sensitivity to permafrost thaw, mode of permafrost degradation (overall permafrost thaw, active layer deepening, and/or thermokarst processes), and environmental characteristics of watersheds (e.g. land cover, soil type, and topography). One of the most profound consequences of permafrost thaw projected for the future is that the arctic terrestrial freshwater system is likely to experience a transition from a surface water-dominated system to a groundwater-dominated system. Along with many other cascading impacts from this transition, mineral-rich groundwater may become an important contributor to streamflow, in addition to the currently dominant contribution from mineral-poor surface water. Most studies observe or predict an increase in major ion, phosphate, and silicate export with this shift towards greater groundwater contributions. However, we see conflicting accounts of whether the delivery of inorganic nitrogen and organic matter will increase or decrease with warming and permafrost thaw. It is important to note that uncertainties in the predictions of the total flux of biogeochemical constituents are tightly linked to future uncertainties in discharge of rivers. Nonetheless, it is clear that over the next century there will be important shifts in the river transport of organic matter, inorganic nutrients, and major ions, which may in turn have critical implications for primary production and carbon cycling on arctic shelves and in the Arctic Ocean basin interior. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

 

[waltky]

Global warming could thaw Siberian permafrost...

Siberian permafrost thaw warning sparked by cave data
22 February 2013 - Evidence from Siberian caves suggests that a global temperature rise of 1.5C could see permafrost thaw over a large area of Siberia.

A study shows that more than a trillion tonnes of the greenhouse gases CO2 and methane could be released into the atmosphere as a result. An international team has published details in the journal Science. The evidence comes from analysis of stalactites and stalagmites in caves along the "permafrost frontier". This is where ground begins to be permanently frozen in layers that can be tens to hundreds of metres thick. Stalactites and stalagmites only grow when liquid rainwater and snowmelt drip into the caves. So these formations record 500,000 years of changing permafrost conditions - including warmer periods similar to the climate of today.

The caves record changing conditions over hundreds of thousands of years

The records from a particularly warm period called Marine Isotopic Stage 11, which occurred around 400,000 years ago, suggest that warming of 1.5C compared to the present is enough to cause substantial thawing of permafrost - even in areas far north from its present-day southern limit. "The stalactites and stalagmites from these caves are a way of looking back in time to see how warm periods similar to our modern climate affect how far permafrost extends across Siberia," said Dr Anton Vaks from the University of Oxford. "As permafrost covers 24% of the land surface of the Northern Hemisphere, significant thawing could affect vast areas and release (billions of tonnes) of carbon."

Thawing of permafrost would have huge implications for ecosystems, says the team

He added: "'This has huge implications for ecosystems in the region, and for aspects of the human environment. "For instance, natural gas facilities in the region, as well as power lines, roads, railways and buildings are all built on permafrost and are vulnerable to thawing. Such a thaw could damage this infrastructure with obvious economic implications."

Source

 

[westwall]

And then again some Canadian permafrost has been found to be 740,000 years old which means it made it through the major warming periods 120,000 and 400,000 years ago when it was MUCH warmer than today.

Looks like you have to find something else to panic about. Is there ANYTHING that doesn't panic you?



"A swath of frozen mud and ice, inadvertently exposed by miners in central Yukon, is proving to be scientific gold.

The permafrost turns out to be about 740,000 years old and contains the oldest ice ever uncovered in North America, researchers say. It predates the arrival of long-extinct creatures such as the woolly mammoth, and has weathered some remarkable swings in the climate, including two notable warm spells 120,000 and 400,000 years ago when temperatures were higher than they are today.

All of which indicates that Canada’s foundation - half the country sits on permafrost - may be more solid than some have suggested.

“It underscores the inherent resilience of permafrost,” said University of Alberta geologist Duane Froese, lead author of a report Friday in the journal Science describing the ancient permafrost found just south of Dawson City."




Yukon permafrost older than previously thought: Researchers

 

[CrusaderFrank]

Posting these stupid warnings is the leading cause of Global Warming

 

[kiwiman127]

Posting these stupid warnings is the leading cause of Global Warming

Link?

 

[Mad Scientist]

Well it looks like they can't call it "Permafrost" anymore!

What should they call it now?

The Frost Formerly Known As Perma?
An Unintelligible Symbol?
Wicked Frost of the North?

Hmmm.

 

[westwall]

Well it looks like they can't call it "Permafrost" anymore!

What should they call it now?

The Frost Formerly Known As Perma?
An Unintelligible Symbol?
Wicked Frost of the North?

Hmmm.

I like Tempafrost!

 

[Mad Scientist]

Well it looks like they can't call it "Permafrost" anymore!

What should they call it now?

The Frost Formerly Known As Perma?
An Unintelligible Symbol?
Wicked Frost of the North?

Hmmm.

I like Tempafrost!

Maybe when it melts it'll wash all the way to "Tempa Bay".