Articles | Volume 12, issue 8
https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-12-2667-2018
© Author(s) 2018. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-12-2667-2018
© Author(s) 2018. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Research article
| 
16 Aug 2018
Research article |
| 16 Aug 2018
| 16 Aug 2018
Characteristics and fate of isolated permafrost patches in coastal Labrador, Canada
Robert G. Way
CORRESPONDING AUTHOR
Department of Geography and Planning, Queen's University, Kingston,
K7L3N6, Canada
Labrador Institute, Memorial University of Newfoundland, Happy
Valley-Goose Bay, A0P1E0, Canada
Antoni G. Lewkowicz
Department of Geography, Environment and Geomatics, University of
Ottawa, Ottawa, K1N6N5, Canada
Canada Centre for Mapping and Earth Observation, Natural Resources
Canada, Ottawa, K1A0E4, Canada
Related authors
Yifeng Wang, Robert G. Way, Jordan Beer, Anika Forget, Rosamond Tutton, and Meredith C. Purcell
The Cryosphere, 17, 63–78, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-17-63-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-17-63-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
Peatland permafrost in northeastern Canada has been misrepresented by models, leading to significant underestimates of peatland permafrost and permafrost distribution along the Labrador Sea coastline. Our multi-stage, multi-mapper, consensus-based inventorying process, supported by field- and imagery-based validation efforts, identifies peatland permafrost complexes all along the coast. The highest density of complexes is found to the south of the current sporadic discontinuous permafrost limit.
Rosamond J. Tutton and Robert G. Way
The Cryosphere, 15, 1–15, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-15-1-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-15-1-2021, 2021
Short summary
Short summary
Snow cover is critical to everyday life for people around the globe. Regular measurements of snow cover usually occur only in larger communities because snow monitoring equipment is costly. In this study, we developed a new low-cost method for estimating snow depth and tested it continuously for 1 year at six remote field locations in coastal Labrador, Canada. Field testing suggests that this new method provides a promising option for researchers in need of a low-cost snow measurement system.
Nicholas E. Barrand, Robert G. Way, Trevor Bell, and Martin J. Sharp
The Cryosphere, 11, 157–168, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-11-157-2017, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-11-157-2017, 2017
Short summary
Short summary
This paper provides a comprehensive assessment of the state of small glaciers in the Canadian province of Labrador. These glaciers, the last in continental northeast North America, exist in heavily shaded locations within the remote Torngat Mountains National Park. Fieldwork, and airborne and spaceborne remote-sensing analyses were used to measure regional glacier area changes and individual glacier thinning rates. These results were then linked to trends in prevailing climatic conditions.
Charles E. Miller, Peter C. Griffith, Elizabeth Hoy, Naiara S. Pinto, Yunling Lou, Scott Hensley, Bruce D. Chapman, Jennifer Baltzer, Kazem Bakian-Dogaheh, W. Robert Bolton, Laura Bourgeau-Chavez, Richard H. Chen, Byung-Hun Choe, Leah K. Clayton, Thomas A. Douglas, Nancy French, Jean E. Holloway, Gang Hong, Lingcao Huang, Go Iwahana, Liza Jenkins, John S. Kimball, Tatiana Loboda, Michelle Mack, Philip Marsh, Roger J. Michaelides, Mahta Moghaddam, Andrew Parsekian, Kevin Schaefer, Paul R. Siqueira, Debjani Singh, Alireza Tabatabaeenejad, Merritt Turetsky, Ridha Touzi, Elizabeth Wig, Cathy J. Wilson, Paul Wilson, Stan D. Wullschleger, Yonghong Yi, Howard A. Zebker, Yu Zhang, Yuhuan Zhao, and Scott J. Goetz
Earth Syst. Sci. Data, 16, 2605–2624, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-16-2605-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-16-2605-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
NASA’s Arctic Boreal Vulnerability Experiment (ABoVE) conducted airborne synthetic aperture radar (SAR) surveys of over 120 000 km2 in Alaska and northwestern Canada during 2017, 2018, 2019, and 2022. This paper summarizes those results and provides links to details on ~ 80 individual flight lines. This paper is presented as a guide to enable interested readers to fully explore the ABoVE L- and P-band SAR data.
Yifeng Wang, Robert G. Way, Jordan Beer, Anika Forget, Rosamond Tutton, and Meredith C. Purcell
The Cryosphere, 17, 63–78, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-17-63-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-17-63-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
Peatland permafrost in northeastern Canada has been misrepresented by models, leading to significant underestimates of peatland permafrost and permafrost distribution along the Labrador Sea coastline. Our multi-stage, multi-mapper, consensus-based inventorying process, supported by field- and imagery-based validation efforts, identifies peatland permafrost complexes all along the coast. The highest density of complexes is found to the south of the current sporadic discontinuous permafrost limit.
Rosamond J. Tutton and Robert G. Way
The Cryosphere, 15, 1–15, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-15-1-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-15-1-2021, 2021
Short summary
Short summary
Snow cover is critical to everyday life for people around the globe. Regular measurements of snow cover usually occur only in larger communities because snow monitoring equipment is costly. In this study, we developed a new low-cost method for estimating snow depth and tested it continuously for 1 year at six remote field locations in coastal Labrador, Canada. Field testing suggests that this new method provides a promising option for researchers in need of a low-cost snow measurement system.
Eleanor J. Burke, Yu Zhang, and Gerhard Krinner
The Cryosphere, 14, 3155–3174, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-14-3155-2020, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-14-3155-2020, 2020
Short summary
Short summary
Permafrost will degrade under future climate change. This will have implications locally for the northern high-latitude regions and may well also amplify global climate change. There have been some recent improvements in the ability of earth system models to simulate the permafrost physical state, but further model developments are required. Models project the thawed volume of soil in the top 2 m of permafrost will increase by 10 %–40 % °C−1 of global mean surface air temperature increase.
Nicholas E. Barrand, Robert G. Way, Trevor Bell, and Martin J. Sharp
The Cryosphere, 11, 157–168, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-11-157-2017, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-11-157-2017, 2017
Short summary
Short summary
This paper provides a comprehensive assessment of the state of small glaciers in the Canadian province of Labrador. These glaciers, the last in continental northeast North America, exist in heavily shaded locations within the remote Torngat Mountains National Park. Fieldwork, and airborne and spaceborne remote-sensing analyses were used to measure regional glacier area changes and individual glacier thinning rates. These results were then linked to trends in prevailing climatic conditions.
Sergey V. Samsonov, Trevor C. Lantz, Steven V. Kokelj, and Yu Zhang
The Cryosphere, 10, 799–810, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-10-799-2016, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-10-799-2016, 2016
Short summary
Short summary
We describe the growth of a very large diameter pingo in the Tuktoyaktuk Coastlands. Analysis of historical data showed that ground uplift initiated sometime between 1935 and 1951 following lake drainage and is largely caused by the growth of intrusive ice. This study demonstrates that satellite radar can successfully contribute to understanding the dynamics of terrain uplift in response to permafrost aggradation and ground ice development in remote polar environments.
Y. Zhang, I. Olthof, R. Fraser, and S. A. Wolfe
The Cryosphere, 8, 2177–2194, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-8-2177-2014, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-8-2177-2014, 2014
Y. Zhang, W. Chen, and J. Li
Geosci. Model Dev., 7, 1357–1376, https://doi.org/10.5194/gmd-7-1357-2014, https://doi.org/10.5194/gmd-7-1357-2014, 2014
Y. Zhang, X. Wang, R. Fraser, I. Olthof, W. Chen, D. Mclennan, S. Ponomarenko, and W. Wu
The Cryosphere, 7, 1121–1137, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-7-1121-2013, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-7-1121-2013, 2013
P. P. Bonnaventure and A. G. Lewkowicz
The Cryosphere, 7, 935–946, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-7-935-2013, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-7-935-2013, 2013
Related subject area
Discipline: Frozen ground | Subject: Frozen Ground
Effect of surficial geology mapping scale on modelled ground ice in Canadian Shield terrain
InSAR-measured permafrost degradation of palsa peatlands in northern Sweden
The evolution of Arctic permafrost over the last 3 centuries from ensemble simulations with the CryoGridLite permafrost model
Permafrost saline water and Early to mid-Holocene permafrost aggradation in Svalbard
Environmental spaces for palsas and peat plateaus are disappearing at a circumpolar scale
Post-Little Ice Age rock wall permafrost evolution in Norway
Modelling rock glacier ice content based on InSAR-derived velocity, Khumbu and Lhotse valleys, Nepal
The temperature-dependent shear strength of ice-filled joints in rock mass considering the effect of joint roughness, opening and shear rates
Significant underestimation of peatland permafrost along the Labrador Sea coastline in northern Canada
Estimation of stream water components and residence time in a permafrost catchment in the central Tibetan Plateau using long-term water stable isotopic data
Brief communication: Improving ERA5-Land soil temperature in permafrost regions using an optimized multi-layer snow scheme
Towards accurate quantification of ice content in permafrost of the Central Andes – Part 2: An upscaling strategy of geophysical measurements to the catchment scale at two study sites
Long-term analysis of cryoseismic events and associated ground thermal stress in Adventdalen, Svalbard
Seismic physics-based characterization of permafrost sites using surface waves
Three in one: GPS-IR measurements of ground surface elevation changes, soil moisture, and snow depth at a permafrost site in the northeastern Qinghai–Tibet Plateau
Surface temperatures and their influence on the permafrost thermal regime in high-Arctic rock walls on Svalbard
Consequences of permafrost degradation for Arctic infrastructure – bridging the model gap between regional and engineering scales
Passive seismic recording of cryoseisms in Adventdalen, Svalbard
Projecting circum-Arctic excess-ground-ice melt with a sub-grid representation in the Community Land Model
Ground ice, organic carbon and soluble cations in tundra permafrost soils and sediments near a Laurentide ice divide in the Slave Geological Province, Northwest Territories, Canada
The ERA5-Land soil temperature bias in permafrost regions
Brief Communication: The reliability of gas extraction techniques for analysing CH4 and N2O compositions in gas trapped in permafrost ice wedges
Geochemical signatures of pingo ice and its origin in Grøndalen, west Spitsbergen
Mountain permafrost degradation documented through a network of permanent electrical resistivity tomography sites
Permafrost variability over the Northern Hemisphere based on the MERRA-2 reanalysis
Distinguishing ice-rich and ice-poor permafrost to map ground temperatures and ground ice occurrence in the Swiss Alps
New ground ice maps for Canada using a paleogeographic modelling approach
Origin, burial and preservation of late Pleistocene-age glacier ice in Arctic permafrost (Bylot Island, NU, Canada)
Rock glaciers in Daxue Shan, south-eastern Tibetan Plateau: an inventory, their distribution, and their environmental controls
Microtopographic control on the ground thermal regime in ice wedge polygons
H. Brendan O'Neill, Stephen A. Wolfe, Caroline Duchesne, and Ryan J. H. Parker
The Cryosphere, 18, 2979–2990, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-18-2979-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-18-2979-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
Maps that show ground ice in permafrost at circumpolar or hemispherical scales offer only general depictions of broad patterns in ice content. In this paper, we show that using more detailed surficial geology in a ground ice computer model significantly improves the depiction of ground ice and makes the mapping useful for assessments of the effects of permafrost thaw and for reconnaissance planning of infrastructure routing.
Samuel Valman, Matthias B. Siewert, Doreen Boyd, Martha Ledger, David Gee, Betsabé de la Barreda-Bautista, Andrew Sowter, and Sofie Sjögersten
The Cryosphere, 18, 1773–1790, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-18-1773-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-18-1773-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
Climate warming is thawing permafrost that makes up palsa (frost mound) peatlands, risking ecosystem collapse and carbon release as methane. We measure this regional degradation using radar satellite technology to examine ground elevation changes and show how terrain roughness measurements can be used to estimate local permafrost damage. We find that over half of Sweden's largest palsa peatlands are degrading, with the worse impacts to the north linked to increased winter precipitation.
Moritz Langer, Jan Nitzbon, Brian Groenke, Lisa-Marie Assmann, Thomas Schneider von Deimling, Simone Maria Stuenzi, and Sebastian Westermann
The Cryosphere, 18, 363–385, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-18-363-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-18-363-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
Using a model that can simulate the evolution of Arctic permafrost over centuries to millennia, we find that post-industrialization permafrost warming has three "hotspots" in NE Canada, N Alaska, and W Siberia. The extent of near-surface permafrost has decreased substantially since 1850, with the largest area losses occurring in the last 50 years. The simulations also show that volcanic eruptions have in some cases counteracted the loss of near-surface permafrost for a few decades.
Dotan Rotem, Vladimir Lyakhovsky, Hanne Hvidtfeldt Christiansen, Yehudit Harlavan, and Yishai Weinstein
The Cryosphere, 17, 3363–3381, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-17-3363-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-17-3363-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
Frozen saline pore water, left over from post-glacial marine ingression, was found in shallow permafrost in a Svalbard fjord valley. This suggests that freezing occurred immediately after marine regression due to isostatic rebound. We conducted top-down freezing simulations, which confirmed that with Early to mid-Holocene temperatures (e.g. −4 °C), freezing could progress down to 20–40 m within 200 years. This, in turn, could inhibit flow through the sediment, therefore preserving saline fluids.
Oona Leppiniemi, Olli Karjalainen, Juha Aalto, Miska Luoto, and Jan Hjort
The Cryosphere, 17, 3157–3176, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-17-3157-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-17-3157-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
For the first time, suitable environments for palsas and peat plateaus were modeled for the whole Northern Hemisphere. The hotspots of occurrences were in northern Europe, western Siberia, and subarctic Canada. Climate change was predicted to cause almost complete loss of the studied landforms by the late century. Our predictions filled knowledge gaps in the distribution of the landforms, and they can be utilized in estimation of the pace and impacts of the climate change over northern regions.
Justyna Czekirda, Bernd Etzelmüller, Sebastian Westermann, Ketil Isaksen, and Florence Magnin
The Cryosphere, 17, 2725–2754, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-17-2725-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-17-2725-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
We assess spatio-temporal permafrost variations in selected rock walls in Norway over the last 120 years. Ground temperature is modelled using the two-dimensional ground heat flux model CryoGrid 2D along nine profiles. Permafrost probably occurs at most sites. All simulations show increasing ground temperature from the 1980s. Our simulations show that rock wall permafrost with a temperature of −1 °C at 20 m depth could thaw at this depth within 50 years.
Yan Hu, Stephan Harrison, Lin Liu, and Joanne Laura Wood
The Cryosphere, 17, 2305–2321, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-17-2305-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-17-2305-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
Rock glaciers are considered to be important freshwater reservoirs in the future climate. However, the amount of ice stored in rock glaciers is poorly quantified. Here we developed an empirical model to estimate ice content in rock the glaciers in the Khumbu and Lhotse valleys, Nepal. The modelling results confirmed the hydrological importance of rock glaciers in the study area. The developed approach shows promise in being applied to permafrost regions to assess water storage of rock glaciers.
Shibing Huang, Haowei Cai, Zekun Xin, and Gang Liu
The Cryosphere, 17, 1205–1223, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-17-1205-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-17-1205-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
In this study, the warming degradation mechanism of ice-filled joints is revealed, and the effect of temperature, normal stress, shear rate and joint opening on the shear strength of rough ice-filled joints is investigated. The shear rupture modes include shear cracking of joint ice and debonding of the ice–rock interface, which is related to the above factors. The bonding strength of the ice–rock interface is larger than the shear strength of joint ice when the temperature is below −1 ℃.
Yifeng Wang, Robert G. Way, Jordan Beer, Anika Forget, Rosamond Tutton, and Meredith C. Purcell
The Cryosphere, 17, 63–78, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-17-63-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-17-63-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
Peatland permafrost in northeastern Canada has been misrepresented by models, leading to significant underestimates of peatland permafrost and permafrost distribution along the Labrador Sea coastline. Our multi-stage, multi-mapper, consensus-based inventorying process, supported by field- and imagery-based validation efforts, identifies peatland permafrost complexes all along the coast. The highest density of complexes is found to the south of the current sporadic discontinuous permafrost limit.
Shaoyong Wang, Xiaobo He, Shichang Kang, Hui Fu, and Xiaofeng Hong
The Cryosphere, 16, 5023–5040, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-16-5023-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-16-5023-2022, 2022
Short summary
Short summary
This study used the sine-wave exponential model and long-term water stable isotopic data to estimate water mean residence time (MRT) and its influencing factors in a high-altitude permafrost catchment (5300 m a.s.l.) in the central Tibetan Plateau (TP). MRT for stream and supra-permafrost water was estimated at 100 and 255 d, respectively. Climate and vegetation factors affected the MRT of stream and supra-permafrost water mainly by changing the thickness of the permafrost active layer.
Bin Cao, Gabriele Arduini, and Ervin Zsoter
The Cryosphere, 16, 2701–2708, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-16-2701-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-16-2701-2022, 2022
Short summary
Short summary
We implemented a new multi-layer snow scheme in the land surface scheme of ERA5-Land with revised snow densification parameterizations. The revised HTESSEL improved the representation of soil temperature in permafrost regions compared to ERA5-Land; in particular, warm bias in winter was significantly reduced, and the resulting modeled near-surface permafrost extent was improved.
Tamara Mathys, Christin Hilbich, Lukas U. Arenson, Pablo A. Wainstein, and Christian Hauck
The Cryosphere, 16, 2595–2615, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-16-2595-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-16-2595-2022, 2022
Short summary
Short summary
With ongoing climate change, there is a pressing need to understand how much water is stored as ground ice in permafrost. Still, field-based data on permafrost in the Andes are scarce, resulting in large uncertainties regarding ground ice volumes and their hydrological role. We introduce an upscaling methodology of geophysical-based ground ice quantifications at the catchment scale. Our results indicate that substantial ground ice volumes may also be present in areas without rock glaciers.
Rowan Romeyn, Alfred Hanssen, and Andreas Köhler
The Cryosphere, 16, 2025–2050, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-16-2025-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-16-2025-2022, 2022
Short summary
Short summary
We have investigated a long-term record of ground vibrations, recorded by a seismic array installed in Adventdalen, Svalbard. This record contains a large number of
frost quakes, a type of ground shaking that can be produced by cracks that form as the ground cools rapidly. We use underground temperatures measured in a nearby borehole to model forces of thermal expansion and contraction that can cause these cracks. We also use the seismic measurements to estimate where these cracks occurred.
Hongwei Liu, Pooneh Maghoul, and Ahmed Shalaby
The Cryosphere, 16, 1157–1180, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-16-1157-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-16-1157-2022, 2022
Short summary
Short summary
The knowledge of physical and mechanical properties of permafrost and its location is critical for the management of permafrost-related geohazards. Here, we developed a hybrid inverse and multiphase poromechanical approach to quantitatively estimate the physical and mechanical properties of a permafrost site. Our study demonstrates the potential of surface wave techniques coupled with our proposed data-processing algorithm to characterize a permafrost site more accurately.
Jiahua Zhang, Lin Liu, Lei Su, and Tao Che
The Cryosphere, 15, 3021–3033, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-15-3021-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-15-3021-2021, 2021
Short summary
Short summary
We improve the commonly used GPS-IR algorithm for estimating surface soil moisture in permafrost areas, which does not consider the bias introduced by seasonal surface vertical movement. We propose a three-in-one framework to integrate the GPS-IR observations of surface elevation changes, soil moisture, and snow depth at one site and illustrate it by using a GPS site in the Qinghai–Tibet Plateau. This study is the first to use GPS-IR to measure environmental variables in the Tibetan Plateau.
Juditha Undine Schmidt, Bernd Etzelmüller, Thomas Vikhamar Schuler, Florence Magnin, Julia Boike, Moritz Langer, and Sebastian Westermann
The Cryosphere, 15, 2491–2509, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-15-2491-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-15-2491-2021, 2021
Short summary
Short summary
This study presents rock surface temperatures (RSTs) of steep high-Arctic rock walls on Svalbard from 2016 to 2020. The field data show that coastal cliffs are characterized by warmer RSTs than inland locations during winter seasons. By running model simulations, we analyze factors leading to that effect, calculate the surface energy balance and simulate different future scenarios. Both field data and model results can contribute to a further understanding of RST in high-Arctic rock walls.
Thomas Schneider von Deimling, Hanna Lee, Thomas Ingeman-Nielsen, Sebastian Westermann, Vladimir Romanovsky, Scott Lamoureux, Donald A. Walker, Sarah Chadburn, Erin Trochim, Lei Cai, Jan Nitzbon, Stephan Jacobi, and Moritz Langer
The Cryosphere, 15, 2451–2471, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-15-2451-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-15-2451-2021, 2021
Short summary
Short summary
Climate warming puts infrastructure built on permafrost at risk of failure. There is a growing need for appropriate model-based risk assessments. Here we present a modelling study and show an exemplary case of how a gravel road in a cold permafrost environment in Alaska might suffer from degrading permafrost under a scenario of intense climate warming. We use this case study to discuss the broader-scale applicability of our model for simulating future Arctic infrastructure failure.
Rowan Romeyn, Alfred Hanssen, Bent Ole Ruud, Helene Meling Stemland, and Tor Arne Johansen
The Cryosphere, 15, 283–302, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-15-283-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-15-283-2021, 2021
Short summary
Short summary
A series of unusual ground motion signatures were identified in geophone recordings at a frost polygon site in Adventdalen on Svalbard. By analysing where the ground motion originated in time and space, we are able to classify them as cryoseisms, also known as frost quakes, a ground-cracking phenomenon that occurs as a result of freezing processes. The waves travelling through the ground produced by these frost quakes also allow us to measure the structure of the permafrost in the near surface.
Lei Cai, Hanna Lee, Kjetil Schanke Aas, and Sebastian Westermann
The Cryosphere, 14, 4611–4626, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-14-4611-2020, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-14-4611-2020, 2020
Short summary
Short summary
A sub-grid representation of excess ground ice in the Community Land Model (CLM) is developed as novel progress in modeling permafrost thaw and its impacts under the warming climate. The modeled permafrost degradation with sub-grid excess ice follows the pathway that continuous permafrost transforms into discontinuous permafrost before it disappears, including surface subsidence and talik formation, which are highly permafrost-relevant landscape changes excluded from most land models.
Rupesh Subedi, Steven V. Kokelj, and Stephan Gruber
The Cryosphere, 14, 4341–4364, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-14-4341-2020, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-14-4341-2020, 2020
Short summary
Short summary
Permafrost beneath tundra near Lac de Gras (Northwest Territories, Canada) contains more ice and less organic carbon than shown in global compilations. Excess-ice content of 20–60 %, likely remnant Laurentide basal ice, is found in upland till. This study is based on 24 boreholes up to 10 m deep. Findings highlight geology and glacial legacy as determinants of a mosaic of permafrost characteristics with potential for thaw subsidence up to several metres in some locations.
Bin Cao, Stephan Gruber, Donghai Zheng, and Xin Li
The Cryosphere, 14, 2581–2595, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-14-2581-2020, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-14-2581-2020, 2020
Short summary
Short summary
This study reports that ERA5-Land (ERA5L) soil temperature bias in permafrost regions correlates with the bias in air temperature and with maximum snow height. While global reanalyses are important drivers for permafrost study, ERA5L soil data are not well suited for directly informing permafrost research decision making due to their warm bias in winter. To address this, future soil temperature products in reanalyses will require permafrost-specific alterations to their land surface models.
Ji-Woong Yang, Jinho Ahn, Go Iwahana, Sangyoung Han, Kyungmin Kim, and Alexander Fedorov
The Cryosphere, 14, 1311–1324, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-14-1311-2020, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-14-1311-2020, 2020
Short summary
Short summary
Thawing permafrost may lead to decomposition of soil carbon and nitrogen and emission of greenhouse gases. Thus, methane and nitrous oxide compositions in ground ice may provide information on their production mechanisms in permafrost. We test conventional wet and dry extraction methods. We find that both methods extract gas from the easily extractable parts of the ice and yield similar results for mixing ratios. However, both techniques are unable to fully extract gas from the ice.
Nikita Demidov, Sebastian Wetterich, Sergey Verkulich, Aleksey Ekaykin, Hanno Meyer, Mikhail Anisimov, Lutz Schirrmeister, Vasily Demidov, and Andrew J. Hodson
The Cryosphere, 13, 3155–3169, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-13-3155-2019, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-13-3155-2019, 2019
Short summary
Short summary
As Norwegian geologist Liestøl (1996) recognised,
in connection with formation of pingos there are a great many unsolved questions. Drillings and temperature measurements through the pingo mound and also through the surrounding permafrost are needed before the problems can be better understood. To shed light on pingo formation here we present the results of first drilling of pingo on Spitsbergen together with results of detailed hydrochemical and stable-isotope studies of massive-ice samples.
Coline Mollaret, Christin Hilbich, Cécile Pellet, Adrian Flores-Orozco, Reynald Delaloye, and Christian Hauck
The Cryosphere, 13, 2557–2578, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-13-2557-2019, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-13-2557-2019, 2019
Short summary
Short summary
We present a long-term multisite electrical resistivity tomography monitoring network (more than 1000 datasets recorded from six mountain permafrost sites). Despite harsh and remote measurement conditions, the datasets are of good quality and show consistent spatio-temporal variations yielding significant added value to point-scale borehole information. Observed long-term trends are similar for all permafrost sites, showing ongoing permafrost thaw and ground ice loss due to climatic conditions.
Jing Tao, Randal D. Koster, Rolf H. Reichle, Barton A. Forman, Yuan Xue, Richard H. Chen, and Mahta Moghaddam
The Cryosphere, 13, 2087–2110, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-13-2087-2019, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-13-2087-2019, 2019
Short summary
Short summary
The active layer thickness (ALT) in middle-to-high northern latitudes from 1980 to 2017 was produced at 81 km2 resolution by a global land surface model (NASA's CLSM) with forcing fields from a reanalysis data set, MERRA-2. The simulated permafrost distribution and ALTs agree reasonably well with an observation-based map and in situ measurements, respectively. The accumulated above-freezing air temperature and maximum snow water equivalent explain most of the year-to-year variability of ALT.
Robert Kenner, Jeannette Noetzli, Martin Hoelzle, Hugo Raetzo, and Marcia Phillips
The Cryosphere, 13, 1925–1941, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-13-1925-2019, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-13-1925-2019, 2019
Short summary
Short summary
A new permafrost mapping method distinguishes between ice-poor and ice-rich permafrost. The approach was tested for the entire Swiss Alps and highlights the dominating influence of the factors elevation and solar radiation on the distribution of ice-poor permafrost. Our method enabled the indication of mean annual ground temperatures and the cartographic representation of permafrost-free belts, which are bounded above by ice-poor permafrost and below by permafrost-containing excess ice.
H. Brendan O'Neill, Stephen A. Wolfe, and Caroline Duchesne
The Cryosphere, 13, 753–773, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-13-753-2019, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-13-753-2019, 2019
Short summary
Short summary
In this paper, we present new models to depict ground ice in permafrost in Canada, incorporating knowledge from recent studies. The model outputs we present reproduce observed regional ground ice conditions and are generally comparable with previous mapping. However, our results are more detailed and more accurately reflect ground ice conditions in many regions. The new mapping is an important step toward understanding terrain response to permafrost degradation in Canada.
Stephanie Coulombe, Daniel Fortier, Denis Lacelle, Mikhail Kanevskiy, and Yuri Shur
The Cryosphere, 13, 97–111, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-13-97-2019, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-13-97-2019, 2019
Short summary
Short summary
This study provides a detailed description of relict glacier ice preserved in the permafrost of Bylot Island (Nunavut). We demonstrate that the 18O composition (-34.0 0.4 ‰) of the ice is consistent with the late Pleistocene age ice in the Barnes Ice Cap. As most of the glaciated Arctic landscapes are still strongly determined by their glacial legacy, the melting of these large ice bodies could have significant impacts on permafrost geosystem landscape dynamics and ecosystems.
Zeze Ran and Gengnian Liu
The Cryosphere, 12, 2327–2340, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-12-2327-2018, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-12-2327-2018, 2018
Short summary
Short summary
This article provides the first rock glacier inventory of Daxue Shan, south- eastern Tibetan Plateau. This study provides important data for exploring the relation between maritime periglacial environments and the development of rock glaciers on the south-eastern Tibetan Plateau (TP). It may also highlight the characteristics typical of rock glaciers found in a maritime setting.
Charles J. Abolt, Michael H. Young, Adam L. Atchley, and Dylan R. Harp
The Cryosphere, 12, 1957–1968, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-12-1957-2018, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-12-1957-2018, 2018
Short summary
Short summary
We investigate the relationship between ice wedge polygon topography and near-surface ground temperature using a combination of field work and numerical modeling. We analyze a year-long record of ground temperature across a low-centered polygon, then demonstrate that lower rims and deeper troughs promote warmer conditions in the ice wedge in winter. This finding implies that ice wedge cracking and growth, which are driven by cold conditions, can be impeded by rim erosion or trough subsidence.
Cited articles
Allard, M. and Rousseau, L.: The internal structure of a palsa and peat
plateau in the Riviere Boniface region, Québec: Inferences on the
formation of ice segregation mounds, Geogr. Phys. Quatern., 53, 373–387,
1999.
Allard, M., Sarrazin, D., and L'Hérault, E.: Borehole monitoring
temperatures in northeastern Canada v. 1.2 (1988–2014), Scientific data,
Centre D'Étude Nordiques, https://doi.org/10.5885/45291SL-34F28A9491014AFD, 2014.
An, W. and Allard, M.: A mathematical approach to modelling palsa formation:
Insights on processes and growth conditions, Cold Reg. Sci. Technol., 23,
231–244, 1995.
Atkinson, D. E. and Gajewski, K.: High-resolution estimation of summer
surface air temperature in the Canadian Arctic Archipelago, J. Climate, 15,
3601–3614, 2002.
Borge, A. F., Westermann, S., Solheim, I., and Etzelmüller, B.: Strong
degradation of palsas and peat plateaus in northern Norway during the last 60
years, The Cryosphere, 11, 1–16, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-11-1-2017, 2017.
Briggs, M. A., Campbell, S., Nolan, J., Walvoord, M. A., Ntarlagiannis, D.,
Day-Lewis, F. D., and Lane, J. W.: Surface Geophysical Methods for
Characterising Frozen Ground in Transitional Permafrost Landscapes: Surface
Geophysical Methods for Characterising Frozen Ground, Permafrost Periglac.,
28, 52–67,
https://doi.org/10.1002/ppp.1893, 2016.
Brown, R. J.: Permafrost distribution in the southern part of the
discontinuous zone in Quebec and Labrador, Geogr. Phys. Quatern., 33,
279–289, 1979.
Brown, R. J. E.: Permafrost Investigations in Quebec and Newfoundland
(Labrador), Technical Paper, National Research Council of Canada, Ottawa,
Ontario, 1975.
Buteau, S., Fortier, R., Delisle, G., and Allard, M.: Numerical simulation of
the impacts of climate warming on a permafrost mound, Permafrost Periglac.,
15, 41–57, https://doi.org/10.1002/ppp.474, 2004.
Camill, P. and Clark, J. S.: Climate Change Disequilibrium of Boreal
Permafrost Peatlands Caused by Local Processes, Am. Nat., 151, 207–222,
https://doi.org/10.1086/286112, 1998.
Cooper, M. D. A., Estop-Aragonés, C., Fisher, J. P., Thierry, A.,
Garnett, M. H., Charman, D. J., Murton, J. B., Phoenix, G. K., Treharne, R.,
Kokelj, S. V., Wolfe, S. A., Lewkowicz, A. G., Williams, M., and Hartley, I.
P.: Limited contribution of permafrost carbon to methane release from thawing
peatlands, Nat. Clim. Change, 7, 507–511, https://doi.org/10.1038/nclimate3328, 2017.
Delisle, G.: Near-surface permafrost degradation: How severe during the 21st
century?, Geophys. Res. Lett., 34, L09503, https://doi.org/10.1029/2007GL029323,
2007.
Derksen, C., Lemmetyinen, J., Toose, P., Silis, A., Pulliainen, J., and
Sturm, M.: Physical properties of Arctic versus subarctic snow: Implications
for high latitude passive microwave snow water equivalent retrievals, J.
Geophys. Res.-Atmos., 119, 2013JD021264, https://doi.org/10.1002/2013JD021264, 2014.
Dionne, J.-C.: Palses et limite méridionale du pergélisol dans
l'hemisphere nord: le cas de Blanc-Sablon, Québec, Geogr. Phys. Quatern.,
38, 165–184, https://doi.org/10.7202/032550ar, 1984.
Dionne, J.-C. and Gérardin, V.: Observations sur les buttes organiques
de la Cote-Nord du golfe du Saint-Laurent, Québec, Geogr. Phys. Quatern.,
42, 289–301, https://doi.org/10.7202/032737ar, 1988.
Dionne, J.-C. and Richard, P. J. H.: Origine, Age et taux d'accrétion
verticale de la tourbiere palses de Blanc-Sablon, basse Cote-Nord, Golfe du
Saint-Laurent, Québec, Geogr. Phys. Quatern., 60, 199–205,
https://doi.org/10.7202/016829ar, 2006.
Douglas, T. A., Jorgenson, M. T., Brown, D. R. N., Campbell, S. W.,
Hiemstra, C. A., Saari, S. P., Bjella, K., and Liljedahl, A. K.: Degrading
permafrost mapped with electrical resistivity tomography, airborne imagery
and LiDAR, and seasonal thaw measurements, Geophysics, 81, WA71–WA85,
https://doi.org/10.1190/geo2015-0149.1, 2016.
Foster, D. R. and Glaser, P. H.: The raised bogs of south-eastern Labrador,
Canada: classification, distribution, vegetation and recent dynamics, J.
Ecol., 74, 47–71, 1986.
Foster, D. R., Wright, H. E., Thelaus, M., and King, G. A.: Bog development
and landform dynamics in central Sweden and south-eastern Labrador, Canada,
J. Ecol., 76, 1164–1185, 1988.
Fulton, R. J.: Surficial Materials of Canada, 1:50,000, Geological Survey of Canada Map, Natural Resources
Canada,
1995.
Glaser, P. H.: Raised Bogs in Eastern North America–Regional Controls for
Species Richness and Floristic Assemblages, J. Ecol., 80, 535–554,
https://doi.org/10.2307/2260697, 1992.
Grasby, S. E., Allen, D. M., Bell, S., Chen, Z., Ferguson, G., Jessop, A.,
Kelman, M., Ko, M., Majorowicz, J., Moore, M., Raymond, J., and Therrien, R.:
Geothermal energy resource potential of Canada, Open file, Geological Survey
of Canada, Natural Resources Canada, https://doi.org/10.4095/291488, 2012.
Gurney, S. D.: Aspects of the genesis, geomorphology and terminology of
palsas: perennial cryogenic mounds, Prog. Phys. Geog., 25, 249–260, 2001.
Halsey, L. A., Vitt, D. H., and Zoltai, S. C.: Disequilibrium response of
permafrost in boreal continental western Canada to climate change, Climatic
Change, 30, 57–73, 1995.
Hauck, C.: New Concepts in Geophysical Surveying and Data Interpretation for
Permafrost Terrain: Geophysical Surveying in Permafrost Terrain, Permafrost
Periglac., 24, 131–137, https://doi.org/10.1002/ppp.1774, 2013.
Heginbottom, J. A., Dubreuil, M.-A., and Harker, P. A.: Canada – Permafrost,
available at:
http://geogratis.gc.ca/api/en/nrcan-rncan/ess-sst/d1e2048b-ccff-5852-aaa5-b861bd55c367.html (last access: 25 July 2016),
1995.
Henningsmoen, K. E.: Pollen-analytical investigations in the L'Anse aux
Meadows area, Newfoundland, in: The Discovery of a Norse Settlement in
America, Universitetsforlaget, Oslo, 289–340, 1977.
Hustich, I.: Notes on the coniferous forest and tree limit on the east coast
of Newfoundland-Labrador, Acta Geogr., 7, 5–77, 1939.
Hutchinson, M. F., McKenney, D. W., Lawrence, K., Pedlar, J. H., Hopkinson,
R. F., Milewska, E., and Papadopol, P.: Development and testing of
Canada-wide interpolated spatial models of daily minimum-maximum temperature
and precipitation for 1961–2003, J. Appl. Meteorol. Clim., 48, 725–741,
https://doi.org/10.1175/2008JAMC1979.1, 2009.
Jacobs, J. D., Chan, S., and Sutton, E.: Climatology of the Forest-Tundra
Ecotone at a Maritime Subarctic-Alpine Site, Mealy Mountains, Labrador,
Arctic, 67, 28–42, https://doi.org/10.14430/arctic4358, 2014.
James, M., Lewkowicz, A. G., Smith, S. L., and Miceli, C. M.: Multi-decadal
degradation and persistence of permafrost in the Alaska Highway corridor,
northwest Canada, Environ. Res. Lett., 8, 045013,
https://doi.org/10.1088/1748-9326/8/4/045013, 2013.
Jorgenson, M. T., Romanovsky, V., Harden, J., Shur, Y., O'Donnell, J.,
Schuur, E. A. G., Kanevskiy, M., and Marchenko, S.: Resilience and
vulnerability of permafrost to climate change, Can. J. Forest Res., 40,
1219–1236, https://doi.org/10.1139/X10-060, 2010.
Kasprzak, M.: High-resolution electrical resistivity tomography applied to
patterned ground, Wedel Jarlsberg Land, south-west Spitsbergen, Polar Res.,
34, 25678, https://doi.org/10.3402/polar.v34.25678, 2015.
Koven, C. D., Riley, W. J., and Stern, A.: Analysis of Permafrost Thermal
Dynamics and Response to Climate Change in the CMIP5 Earth System Models, J.
Climate, 26, 1877–1900, https://doi.org/10.1175/JCLI-D-12-00228.1, 2013.
Kurylyk, B. L., Hayashi, M., Quinton, W. L., McKenzie, J. M., and Voss, C.
I.: Influence of vertical and lateral heat transfer on permafrost thaw,
peatland landscape transition, and groundwater flow, Water Resour. Res., 52,
1286–1305, https://doi.org/10.1002/2015WR018057, 2016.
Kwong, Y. J. and Gan, T. Y.: Northward migration of permafrost along the
Mackenzie Highway and climatic warming, Climatic Change, 26, 399–419, 1994.
Lewkowicz, A. G.: Evaluation of miniature temperature-loggers to monitor
snowpack evolution at mountain permafrost sites, northwestern Canada,
Permafrost Periglac., 19, 323–331, https://doi.org/10.1002/ppp.625, 2008.
Lewkowicz, A. G., Etzelmüller, B., and Smith, S. L.: Characteristics of
discontinuous permafrost based on ground temperature measurements and
electrical resistivity tomography, southern Yukon, Canada, Permafrost
Periglac., 22, 320–342, https://doi.org/10.1002/ppp.703, 2011.
Lewkowicz, A. G., Bellehumeur-Génier, O., Miceli, C. M., and Smith, S.
L.: Change in discontinuous permafrost in the Alaska Highway corridor
examined by repeated electrical resistivity tomography and ground temperature
monitoring, northwest Canada, in: Proceedings of the 10th International
Conference on Permafrost, Potsdam, Germany, 2016.
Loke, M. H. and Barker, R. D.: Rapid least-squares inversion of apparent
resistivity pseudosections by a quasi-Newton method, Geophys. Prospect., 44,
131–152, 1996.
Loke, M. H., Acworth, I., and Dahlin, T.: A comparison of smooth and blocky
inversion methods in 2D electrical imaging surveys, Explor. Geophys., 34,
182–187, https://doi.org/10.1071/EG03182, 2003.
Maxwell, J. B.: Climatic regions of the Canadian Arctic Islands, Arctic,
34, 225–240, 1981.
Minsley, B. J., Pastick, N. J., Wylie, B. K., Brown, D. R. N., and Andy Kass,
M.: Evidence for nonuniform permafrost degradation after fire in boreal
landscapes, J. Geophys. Res.-Earth, 121, 320–335, https://doi.org/10.1002/2015JF003781,
2016.
Morse, P. D., Wolfe, S. A., Kokelj, S. V., and Gaanderse, A. J. R.: The
occurrence and thermal disequilibrium state of permafrost in forest ecotopes
of the Great Slave Region, Northwest Territories, Canada, Permafrost
Periglac., 27, 145–162, https://doi.org/10.1002/ppp.1858, 2016.
Ou, C., Leblon, B., Zhang, Y., LaRocque, A., Webster, K., and McLaughlin, J.:
Modelling and mapping permafrost at high spatial resolution using Landsat and
Radarsat images in northern Ontario, Canada: Part 1 – model calibration,
Int. J. Remote Sens., 37, 2727–2750, https://doi.org/10.1080/01431161.2016.1157642,
2016a.
Ou, C., LaRocque, A., Leblon, B., Zhang, Y., Webster, K., and McLaughlin, J.:
Modelling and mapping permafrost at high spatial resolution using Landsat and
Radarsat-2 images in Northern Ontario, Canada: Part 2 – regional mapping,
Int. J. Remote Sens., 37, 2751–2779, https://doi.org/10.1080/01431161.2016.1151574,
2016b.
Pollack, H. N., Hurter, S. J., and Johnson, J. R.: Heat flow from the Earth's
interior: analysis of the global data set, Rev. Geophys., 31, 267–280, 1993.
Quinton, W. L., Hayashi, M., and Chasmer, L. E.: Permafrost-thaw-induced
land-cover change in the Canadian subarctic: implications for water
resources, Hydrol. Process., 25, 152–158, https://doi.org/10.1002/hyp.7894, 2011.
Riseborough, D. W.: Exploring the parameters of a simple model of the
permafrost-climate relationship, PhD Thesis, Carleton University, Ottawa,
2004.
Roberts, B. A., Simon, N. P. P., and Deering, K. W.: The forests and
woodlands of Labrador, Canada: ecology, distribution and future management,
Ecol. Res., 21, 868–880, https://doi.org/10.1007/s11284-006-0051-7, 2006.
Romanovsky, V. E., Drozdov, D. S., Oberman, N. G., Malkova, G. V., Kholodov,
A. L., Marchenko, S. S., Moskalenko, N. G., Sergeev, D. O., Ukraintseva, N.
G., Abramov, A. A., Gilichinsky, D. A., and Vasiliev, A. A.: Thermal state of
permafrost in Russia, Permafrost Periglac., 21, 136–155,
https://doi.org/10.1002/ppp.683, 2010.
Sannel, A. B. K., Hugelius, G., Jansson, P., and Kuhry, P.: Permafrost
Warming in a Subarctic Peatland – Which Meteorological Controls are Most
Important?, Permafrost Periglac., 27, 177–188, https://doi.org/10.1002/ppp.1862, 2016.
Schaefer, K., Zhang, T., Bruhwiler, L., and Barrett, A. P.: Amount and timing
of permafrost carbon release in response to climate warming: Amount and
timing of permafrost carbon release, Tellus B, 63, 165–180,
https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1600-0889.2011.00527.x, 2011.
Schuur, E. A. G., McGuire, A. D., Schädel, C., Grosse, G., Harden, J.
W., Hayes, D. J., Hugelius, G., Koven, C. D., Kuhry, P., Lawrence, D. M.,
Natali, S. M., Olefeldt, D., Romanovsky, V. E., Schaefer, K., Turetsky, M.
R., Treat, C. C., and Vonk, J. E.: Climate change and the permafrost carbon
feedback, Nature, 520, 171–179, https://doi.org/10.1038/nature14338, 2015.
Seppälä, M.: An experimental study of the formation of palsas,
in: Proc. 4th Can. Permafrost Conf, available at:
http://136.159.35.81/cpc/CPC4-36.pdf (last access: 8 March 2015),
36–42, 1982.
Seppälä, M.: Synthesis of studies of palsa formation underlining the
importance of local environmental and physical characteristics, Quaternary
Res., 75, 366–370, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.yqres.2010.09.007, 2011.
Shaoling, W., Huijun, J., Shuxun, L., and Lin, Z.: Permafrost degradation on
the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau and its environmental impacts, Permafrost
Periglac., 11, 43–53,
https://doi.org/10.1002/(SICI)1099-1530(200001/03)11:1<43::AID-PPP332>3.0.CO;2-H, 2000.
Shur, Y. L. and Jorgenson, M. T.: Patterns of permafrost formation and
degradation in relation to climate and ecosystems, Permafrost Periglac., 18,
7–19, https://doi.org/10.1002/ppp.582, 2007.
Sjöberg, Y., Marklund, P., Pettersson, R., and Lyon, S. W.: Geophysical
mapping of palsa peatland permafrost, The Cryosphere, 9, 465–478,
https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-9-465-2015, 2015.
Smith, M. W. and Riseborough, D. W.: Climate and the limits of permafrost: a
zonal analysis, Permafrost Periglac., 13, 1–15, https://doi.org/10.1002/ppp.410, 2002.
Smith, S. L. and Bonnaventure, P. P.: Quantifying Surface Temperature
Inversions and Their Impact on the Ground Thermal Regime at a High Arctic
Site, Arct. Antarct. Alp. Res., 49, 173–185, https://doi.org/10.1657/AAAR0016-039, 2017.
Swindles, G. T., Morris, P. J., Mullan, D., Watson, E. J., Turner, T. E.,
Roland, T. P., Amesbury, M. J., Kokfelt, U., Schoning, K., Pratte, S.,
Gallego-Sala, A., Charman, D. J., Sanderson, N., Garneau, M., Carrivick, J.
L., Woulds, C., Holden, J., Parry, L., and Galloway, J. M.: The long-term
fate of permafrost peatlands under rapid climate warming, Sci. Rep.-UK, 5,
17951,
https://doi.org/10.1038/srep17951, 2016.
Tarnocai, C.: The effect of climate change on carbon in Canadian peatlands,
Global Planet. Change, 53, 222–232, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gloplacha.2006.03.012,
2006.
Tarnocai, C.: The impact of climate change on Canadian peatlands, Can. Water
Resour. J., 34, 453–466, 2009.
Thibault, S. and Payette, S.: Recent permafrost degradation in bogs of the
James Bay area, northern Quebec, Canada, Permafrost Periglac., 20, 383–389,
https://doi.org/10.1002/ppp.660, 2009.
Turetsky, M. R., Wieder, R. K., Vitt, D. H., Evans, R. J., and Scott, K. D.:
The disappearance of relict permafrost in boreal north America: Effects on
peatland carbon storage and fluxes, Glob. Change Biol., 13, 1922–1934,
https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2486.2007.01381.x, 2007.
Van Everdingen, R.: Palsa, Multi-language glossary of permafrost and related ground-ice terms, National Snow and Ice Data Center, Boulder, Colorado, USA, 2005.
van Vuuren, D. P., Edmonds, J., Kainuma, M., Riahi, K., Thomson, A.,
Hibbard, K., Hurtt, G. C., Kram, T., Krey, V., Lamarque, J.-F., Masui, T.,
Meinshausen, M., Nakicenovic, N., Smith, S. J., and Rose, S. K.: The
representative concentration pathways: an overview, Climatic Change, 109,
5–31, https://doi.org/10.1007/s10584-011-0148-z, 2011.
Vincent, L. A., Wang, X. L., Milewska, E. J., Wan, H., Yang, F., and Swail,
V.: A second generation of homogenized Canadian monthly surface air
temperature for climate trend analysis, J. Geophys. Res.-Atmos., 117, D18,
https://doi.org/10.1029/2012JD017859, 2012.
Vorren, K.-D.: The first permafrost cycle in Færdesmyra, eastern
Finnmark, Norway?, Nor. Geogr. Tidsskr. Nor. J. Geogr., 1–8, 114–121,
https://doi.org/10.1080/00291951.2017.1316309, 2017.
Way, R. G. and Lewkowicz, A. G.: Investigations of discontinuous permafrost
in coastal Labrador with DC electrical resistivity tomography, in:
Proceedings of GéoQuebec: 68th Canadian Geotechnical Conference and 7th
Canadian Permafrost Conference, Québec City, Canada, 8 pp., 2015.
Way, R. G. and Lewkowicz, A. G.: Modelling the spatial distribution of
permafrost in Labrador–Ungava using the temperature at the top of
permafrost, Can. J. Earth Sci., 53, 1010–1028, https://doi.org/10.1139/cjes-2016-0034,
2016.
Way, R. G. and Lewkowicz, A. G.: Environmental controls on ground
temperature and permafrost in Labrador, northeast Canada, Permafrost
Periglac., 29, 73–85, https://doi.org/10.1002/ppp.1972, 2018.
Way, R. G. and Viau, A. E.: Natural and forced air temperature variability
in the Labrador region of Canada during the past century, Theor. Appl.
Climatol., 121, 413–424, https://doi.org/10.1007/s00704-014-1248-2, 2015.
Way, R. G., Bell, T., and Barrand, N. E.: An inventory and topographic
analysis of glaciers in the Torngat Mountains, northern Labrador, Canada, J.
Glaciol., 60, 945–956, https://doi.org/10.3189/2014JoG13J195, 2014.
Way, R. G., Lewkowicz, A. G., and Bonnaventure, P. P.: Development of
moderate-resolution gridded monthly air temperature and degree-day maps for
the Labrador-Ungava region of northern Canada, Int. J. Climatol., 37,
493–508, https://doi.org/10.1002/joc.4721, 2017.
You, Y., Yu, Q., Pan, X., Wang, X., and Guo, L.: Application of electrical
resistivity tomography in investigating depth of permafrost base and
permafrost structure in Tibetan Plateau, Cold Reg. Sci. Technol., 87, 19–26,
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.coldregions.2012.11.004, 2013.
Zhang, Y.: Spatio-temporal features of permafrost thaw projected from
long-term high-resolution modeling for a region in the Hudson Bay Lowlands in
Canada, J. Geophys. Res.-Earth, 118, 542–552, https://doi.org/10.1002/jgrf.20045, 2013.
Zhang, Y., Chen, W., and Cihlar, J.: A process-based model for quantifying
the impact of climate change on permafrost thermal regimes, J. Geophys. Res.,
108, D22, https://doi.org/10.1029/2002JD003354, 2003.
Zhang, Y., Chen, W., and Riseborough, D. W.: Disequilibrium response of
permafrost thaw to climate warming in Canada over 1850–2100, Geophys. Res.
Lett., 35, L02502, https://doi.org/10.1029/2007GL032117, 2008a.
Zhang, Y., Chen, W., and Riseborough, D. W.: Transient projections of
permafrost distribution in Canada during the 21st century under scenarios of
climate change, Global Planet. Change, 60, 443–456,
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gloplacha.2007.05.003, 2008b.
Zoltai, S. C.: Palsas and peat plateaus in central Manitoba and
Saskatchewan, Can. J. Forest Res., 2, 291–302, 1972.
Zoltai, S. C. and Tarnocai, C.: Perennially frozen peatlands in the western
Arctic and Subarctic of Canada, Can. J. Earth Sci., 12, 28–43, 1975.
Short summary
Isolated patches of permafrost in southeast Labrador are among the southernmost lowland permafrost features in Canada. Local characteristics at six sites were investigated from Cartwright, NL (~ 54° N) to Blanc-Sablon, QC (~ 51° N). Annual ground temperatures varied from −0.7 °C to −2.3 °C with permafrost thicknesses of 1.7–12 m. Ground temperatures modelled for two sites showed permafrost disappearing at the southern site by 2060 and persistence beyond 2100 at the northern site only for RCP2.6.
Isolated patches of permafrost in southeast Labrador are among the southernmost lowland...
