Article
Environmental Sciences
Juan Wang, Dongling Li, Wenting Cao, Xiulin Lou, Aiqin Shi, Huaguo Zhang
Summary: This study conducted a remote sensing analysis of coastal erosion in three typical regions of Alaska and Eastern Siberia. Comparative studies were made on the differences in erosion between different latitudes and the factors influencing erosion at similar latitudes. The study found that the most extensive erosion occurred along the coast of Alaska, followed by Eastern Siberia. Additionally, the erosion of Arctic coasts was found to be closely related to the trend and fluctuations of sea surface temperature.
Article
Mathematics, Applied
Jennifer Frederick, Alejandro Mota, Irina Tezaur, Diana Bull
Summary: This paper presents a novel multi-physics finite element model for numerical simulation of Arctic coastal permafrost degradation. The model couples solid mechanics and thermal models to simulate the deformation and erosion processes of permafrost, allowing for more accurate explanation of permafrost erosion events than previous approaches.
JOURNAL OF COMPUTATIONAL AND APPLIED MATHEMATICS
(2021)
Editorial Material
Environmental Sciences
Christina Schaedel
Summary: Rising Arctic temperatures are accelerating coastal erosion, which not only threatens coastal communities and infrastructure, but also adds carbon to the atmosphere. Studies predict that Arctic coastal erosion will exceed historical variability and increase two to three times by the end of the century.
NATURE CLIMATE CHANGE
(2022)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Armina Soleymani, K. Andrea Scott
Summary: The study investigates the trends and change points of the Arctic marginal ice zone (MIZ) using two different definitions based on sea ice concentration. The results show that the MIZ fraction values peak in August for the threshold-based definition and during the transition periods for the anomaly-based definition. The analysis also reveals consistently higher MIZ fraction values for the anomaly-based definition across all seasons. Furthermore, the study highlights significant increases in MIZ fraction values in October for the threshold-based definition and in August for the anomaly-based definition after certain years.
ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH LETTERS
(2023)
Article
Geosciences, Multidisciplinary
Rebecca Rolph, Pier Paul Overduin, Thomas Ravens, Hugues Lantuit, Moritz Langer
Summary: Studies have shown that climate change is intensifying Arctic coastal erosion, necessitating numerical models to understand its impact. ArcticBeach v1.0 is a potential starting point for Arctic erosion modeling that can be applied on different types of Arctic coastlines.
FRONTIERS IN EARTH SCIENCE
(2022)
Article
Environmental Sciences
David Marcolino Nielsen, Patrick Pieper, Armineh Barkhordarian, Paul Overduin, Tatiana Ilyina, Victor Brovkin, Johanna Baehr, Mikhail Dobrynin
Summary: Coastal erosion in the Arctic caused by permafrost thaw and wave abrasion is expected to increase significantly due to global warming. Projections indicate that the erosion rate will exceed historical levels before the end of the century. This research has important implications for policymakers in terms of coastal conservation and socioeconomic planning, as well as for understanding the impact of Arctic coastal erosion on the changing Arctic Ocean and its role as a carbon sink.
NATURE CLIMATE CHANGE
(2022)
Article
Geosciences, Multidisciplinary
Niek Jesse Speetjens, Gustaf Hugelius, Thomas Gumbricht, Hugues Lantuit, Wouter R. Berghuijs, Philip A. Pika, Amanda Poste, Jorien E. Vonk
Summary: ARCADE is an integrated database of over 40,000 catchments that drain into the Arctic Ocean, ranging in size from 1 to 3.1 x 106 km2. It includes numerous small catchments experiencing significant climatic warming and storing large amounts of soil carbon. ARCADE is a key tool for monitoring the pan-Arctic across scales.
EARTH SYSTEM SCIENCE DATA
(2023)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Di Liu, Yanyun Shen, Yiwen Wang, Zhipan Wang, Zewen Mo, Qingling Zhang
Summary: Accurate monitoring of snow and ice dynamics in the Arctic is crucial for understanding climate change impacts and predicting feedback on global climate. Traditional remote sensing methods have limitations in long-term observations of polar regions. This study systematically assessed the use of moonlight remote sensing to monitor snow/ice dynamics during dark Arctic winters. Using VIIRS/DNB time series data and object-oriented Random Forests algorithm, we achieved high accuracy in revealing the spatiotemporal dynamics of snow/ice covers from 2012 to 2022. Our findings demonstrate the potential of moonlight remote sensing for continuous monitoring in the Arctic and contribute to polar studies and climate change research.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Shawn M. Chartrand, A. Mark Jellinek, Antero Kukko, Anna Grau Galofre, Gordon R. Osinski, Shannon Hibbard
Summary: This research reconstructs and analyzes the landscape development and channelization in the Muskox Valley region over the past 60 years using multiple sources of data and physical models. The results demonstrate that the presence of polygon fields in permafrost-rich environments plays a crucial role in shaping the establishment and evolution of stream networks.
NATURE COMMUNICATIONS
(2023)
Article
Remote Sensing
Cuizhen Wang, Dianfan Guo, Shuying Zang
Summary: This study utilizes Aqua/MODIS land surface temperature (LST) products from 2003 to 2020 to extract the southern limits of sub-Arctic boreal mountain permafrost in the Amur River Basin. By estimating the mean annual ground temperature (MAGT) on top of the permafrost ground and extracting a probability index of permafrost continuity, this study provides a permafrost map that shows a similar pattern to the currently adopted global permafrost map and reveals a northward shift of the southern limits. The advantages of thermal remote sensing in exploring permafrost retreat are showcased, providing valuable information for modeling carbon release in transitional zones.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF APPLIED EARTH OBSERVATION AND GEOINFORMATION
(2023)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Jason A. Clark, Ken D. Tape, Latha Baskaran, Clayton Elder, Charles Miller, Kimberley Miner, Jonathan A. O'Donnell, Benjamin M. Jones
Summary: Beaver engineering in the Arctic tundra leads to hydrologic and geomorphic changes that promote methane production. This methane emission is caused by factors such as vegetation inundation, conversion from flowing to stagnant systems, accumulation of organic sediments, elevated water tables, anaerobic conditions, and permafrost thawing. A study using hyperspectral remote sensing data found that methane hotspots were concentrated within 30 meters of water bodies, and there was a significantly higher occurrence of methane hotspots around beaver ponds compared to non-beaver water bodies. This highlights the impact of beaver-mediated methane emissions on the Arctic carbon cycle and the effects of climate change.
ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH LETTERS
(2023)
Article
Oceanography
Fabrice Collard, Louis Marie, Frederic Nouguier, Marcel Kleinherenbrink, Frithjof Ehlers, Fabrice Ardhuin
Summary: Wind-generated waves strongly interact with sea ice, impacting air-sea exchanges, operations at sea, and marine life. The dissipation of wave energy and its effect on upper ocean mixing and ice drift are not well understood. Limited in situ observations in the Arctic hinder scientific understanding. Radar and optical remote sensing can be used systematically to investigate wave-ice interactions.
JOURNAL OF GEOPHYSICAL RESEARCH-OCEANS
(2022)
Article
Geosciences, Multidisciplinary
I. D. Streletskaya, A. A. Pismeniuk, A. A. Vasiliev, E. A. Gusev, G. E. Oblogov, N. A. Zadorozhnaya
Summary: This study summarizes the investigation and research results of ice-rich permafrost in the Kara Sea region, including the types of ground ice, isotopic composition, and geochemical composition at different sites. The Quaternary sediments in the region generally consist of two main stratigraphic parts: ice-rich continental sediments and saline clay layers.
FRONTIERS IN EARTH SCIENCE
(2021)
Article
Meteorology & Atmospheric Sciences
Robert Ricker, Frank Kauker, Axel Schweiger, Stefan Hendricks, Jinlun Zhang, Stephan Paul
Summary: The study found that the growth of Arctic sea ice is influenced by the decline of sea ice in summer and warmer ocean and surface temperatures in winter. There is increasing thermodynamic ice growth during winter in the Arctic marginal seas eastward from the Laptev Sea to the Beaufort Sea due to a negative feedback driven by sea ice retreat in summer. However, in the Barents and Kara Seas, increasing oceanic heat flux and air temperatures have resulted in negative trends in thermodynamic ice growth.
JOURNAL OF CLIMATE
(2021)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Jens Terhaar, Ronny Lauerwald, Pierre Regnier, Nicolas Gruber, Laurent Bopp
Summary: Research indicates that carbon and nutrients from land play a significant role in Arctic Ocean ecosystems and NPP, contributing to the evolution of Arctic Ocean NPP in the future.
NATURE COMMUNICATIONS
(2021)
Article
Ecology
Helena Bergstedt, Benjamin M. Jones, Donald Walker, Jana Peirce, Annett Bartsch, Georg Pointner, Mikhail Kanevskiy, Martha Raynolds, Marcel Buchhorn
Summary: Increased industrial development in the Arctic has resulted in extensive infrastructure expansion. The impacts of infrastructure on snow distribution, road dust, and snowmelt timing remain poorly understood. This study utilizes satellite data to analyze snow-off dates in a specific oilfield in Alaska. The results highlight the relationship between infrastructure, snowmelt patterns, and surface hydrology.
Review
Ecology
Olga Povoroznyuk, Warwick F. Vincent, Peter Schweitzer, Roza Laptander, Mia Bennett, Fabrice Calmels, Dmitrii Sergeev, Christopher Arp, Bruce C. Forbes, Pascale Roy-Leveillee, Donald A. Walker
Summary: Land-based transport corridors and infrastructure in the Arctic are expanding, leading to significant changes in socio-ecological systems. These changes are driven by resource development, population growth, and climate change, and require integrated approaches for impact assessment and adaptation.
Article
Environmental Sciences
Malgorzata Golub, Nikaan Koupaei-Abyazani, Timo Vesala, Ivan Mammarella, Anne Ojala, Gil Bohrer, Gesa A. Weyhenmeyer, Peter D. Blanken, Werner Eugster, Franziska Koebsch, Jiquan Chen, Kevin Czajkowski, Chandrashekhar Deshmukh, Frederic Guerin, Jouni Heiskanen, Elyn Humphreys, Anders Jonsson, Jan Karlsson, George Kling, Xuhui Lee, Heping Liu, Annalea Lohila, Erik Lundin, Tim Morin, Eva Podgrajsek, Maria Provenzale, Anna Rutgersson, Torsten Sachs, Erik Sahlee, Dominique Serca, Changliang Shao, Christopher Spence, Ian B. Strachan, Wei Xiao, Ankur R. Desai
Summary: This study synthesizes 171 site-months of CO2 flux measurements from 13 lakes and reservoirs in the Northern Hemisphere. It finds pronounced sub-annual variability in CO2 flux with nighttime emissions exceeding daytime emissions. The study highlights the importance of continuous measurements and better characterization of short- and long-term variability for accurate carbon budgeting.
ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH LETTERS
(2023)
Article
Geography, Physical
Alexander I. Kizyakov, Sebastian Wetterich, Frank Guenther, Thomas Opel, Loeka L. Jongejans, Jeremy Courtin, Hanno Meyer, Andrei G. Shepelev, Igor I. Syromyatnikov, Alexander N. Fedorov, Mikhail V. Zimin, Guido Grosse
Summary: Thaw slumps are clear indicators of permafrost degradation, and the Batagay megaslump is the largest known thaw slump on Earth. Research has shown that the morphology of thaw slumps is closely related to the structure and properties of permafrost.
Article
Environmental Sciences
Benjamin M. Jones, Susan Schaeffer Tessier, Tim Tessier, Michael Brubaker, Mike Brook, Jackie Schaeffer, Melissa K. Ward K. Jones, Guido Grosse, Ingmar Nitze, Tabea Rettelbach, Sebastian Zavoico, Jason A. Clark, Ken D. Tape
Summary: This collaborative study investigated the life cycle of a thermokarst lake in the Arctic, revealing the expansion of the lake over the past few decades and the drainage event in 2022. By reconstructing the terrain model of the pre-lake stage, the study found a correlation between the expansion rate of the lake and the thaw subsidence rate of the sub-lake permafrost.
ARCTIC ANTARCTIC AND ALPINE RESEARCH
(2023)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Yu Zhang, Elchin Jafarov, Anastasia Piliouras, Benjamin Jones, Joel C. Rowland, J. David Moulton
Summary: Flooding in low-lying Arctic regions can affect permafrost by changing surface reflectance, increasing soil moisture, and altering soil thermal conductivity. However, the impact of flooding on continuous permafrost environments is not well understood. To address this, we used flooding data and numerical modeling to study the hydro-thermal processes during coastal floodplain flooding. Our results show that coastal floods have significant effects on permafrost dynamics, cooling surface soil and warming deeper soil layers. Timing of flooding events plays a crucial role in determining the extent of permafrost thaw and active layer deepening.
ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH LETTERS
(2023)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Jason A. Clark, Ken D. Tape, Latha Baskaran, Clayton Elder, Charles Miller, Kimberley Miner, Jonathan A. O'Donnell, Benjamin M. Jones
Summary: Beaver engineering in the Arctic tundra leads to hydrologic and geomorphic changes that promote methane production. This methane emission is caused by factors such as vegetation inundation, conversion from flowing to stagnant systems, accumulation of organic sediments, elevated water tables, anaerobic conditions, and permafrost thawing. A study using hyperspectral remote sensing data found that methane hotspots were concentrated within 30 meters of water bodies, and there was a significantly higher occurrence of methane hotspots around beaver ponds compared to non-beaver water bodies. This highlights the impact of beaver-mediated methane emissions on the Arctic carbon cycle and the effects of climate change.
ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH LETTERS
(2023)
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Sizhong Yang, Sara E. Anthony, Maren Jenrich, Michiel H. in 't Zandt, Jens Strauss, Pier Paul Overduin, Guido Grosse, Michael Angelopoulos, Boris K. Biskaborn, Mikhail N. Grigoriev, Dirk Wagner, Christian Knoblauch, Andrea Jaeschke, Janet Rethemeyer, Jens Kallmeyer, Susanne Liebner
Summary: Thermokarst lagoons play an important role in the production and release of greenhouse gases. The infiltration of sulfate-rich marine water into thermokarst lagoons alters the geochemical characteristics and microbial methane-cycling community. Methane oxidation is higher in thermokarst lagoons, while methane-producing microorganisms are similar to lakes.
GLOBAL CHANGE BIOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Virology
Jean-Marie Alempic, Audrey Lartigue, Artemiy E. E. Goncharov, Guido Grosse, Jens Strauss, Alexey N. N. Tikhonov, Alexander N. N. Fedorov, Olivier Poirot, Matthieu Legendre, Sebastien Santini, Chantal Abergel, Jean-Michel Claverie
Summary: A quarter of the Northern hemisphere is covered by permafrost, releasing organic matter and reviving ancient viruses and microbial cells as it thaws due to climate warming, contributing to greenhouse gas emissions. While previous studies mainly focused on bacteria in permafrost, this study reports the preliminary characterization of 13 new viruses isolated from ancient Siberian permafrost samples, suggesting that zombie viruses are not as rare as previously believed. This highlights the potential public health threat of these revived viruses.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Moritz Langer, Thomas Schneider von Deimling, Sebastian Westermann, Rebecca Rolph, Ralph Rutte, Sofia Antonova, Volker Rachold, Michael Schultz, Alexander Oehme, Guido Grosse
Summary: Thousands of industrial sites in the Arctic are correlated with contaminated sites, and between 13,000 and 20,000 contaminated sites are likely to exist in the permafrost region. The neglect of industrial contaminants in existing climate impact analyses poses a serious environmental threat, as climate warming will increase the risk of contamination and mobilization of toxic substances. Reliable long-term planning strategies are needed to address these environmental hazards.
NATURE COMMUNICATIONS
(2023)
Article
Ecology
Eric A. Miller, Benjamin M. Jones, Carson A. Baughman, Randi R. Jandt, Jennifer L. Jenkins, David A. Yokel
Summary: Fires in the tundra of the Arctic Slope in Alaska have been rare, but recent data shows a significant increase in fire frequency.
Article
Environmental Sciences
Anastasia Piliouras, Benjamin M. Jones, Tabatha Clevenger, Ann E. Gibbs, Joel C. Rowland
Summary: Arctic coastal environments are experiencing rapid erosion and changes, but limited observations across the entire Arctic region hinder our understanding of the factors influencing erosion rates. This study utilizes geospatial and remotely sensed data, along with modeling, from the North Slope of Alaska to identify relationships between historical erosion rates and landscape characteristics, providing guidance for future modeling and observations in the Arctic.
ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH LETTERS
(2023)
Article
Environmental Sciences
L. S. Brosius, K. M. Walter Anthony, C. C. Treat, M. C. Jones, M. Dyonisius, G. Grosse
Summary: Climate-driven permafrost thaw can release ancient carbon to the atmosphere, causing a positive feedback loop that further contributes to warming. Field studies have not fully accounted for older methane released from permafrost, challenging the importance of this feedback. Our research on panarctic lake methane fluxes using isotope and emissions datasets shows that methane release from thermokarst lakes fits within the constraints imposed by polar ice core data and contributes to a small positive feedback to climate warming.
COMMUNICATIONS EARTH & ENVIRONMENT
(2023)
Review
Environmental Sciences
Miriam C. C. Jones, Guido Grosse, Claire Treat, Merritt Turetsky, Katey Walter Anthony, Laura Brosius
Summary: Climate warming threatens to destabilize permafrost areas, releasing organic carbon that disrupts the climate. This study synthesizes paleorecords to understand future permafrost stability and carbon feedbacks. Key landscape differences between the last deglaciation and today influence permafrost response and limit carbon uptake. Thawing permafrost has the potential to strongly impact future Arctic climate.
COMMUNICATIONS EARTH & ENVIRONMENT
(2023)
Article
Geosciences, Multidisciplinary
Benjamin M. Jones, Mikhail Z. Kanevskiy, Andrew D. Parsekian, Helena Bergstedt, Melissa K. Ward Jones, Rodrigo C. Rangel, Kenneth M. Hinkel, Yuri Shur
Summary: This study documents the rapid thawing of saline permafrost below a shallow arctic lake. The research findings suggest that thawing saline permafrost may contribute to an increase in landscape change rates in the Arctic.
GEOPHYSICAL RESEARCH LETTERS
(2023)