Articles | Volume 14, issue 11
https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-14-3829-2020
© Author(s) 2020. 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-14-3829-2020
© Author(s) 2020. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Research article
| 
09 Nov 2020
Research article |
| 09 Nov 2020
| 09 Nov 2020
Sub-permafrost methane seepage from open-system pingos in Svalbard
Andrew J. Hodson
CORRESPONDING AUTHOR
Department of Arctic Geology, University Centre in Svalbard (UNIS),
9171 Longyearbyen, Norway
Department of Environmental Science, Western Norway University of
Applied Sciences, Røyrgata 6, 6856 Sogndal, Norway
Aga Nowak
Department of Arctic Geology, University Centre in Svalbard (UNIS),
9171 Longyearbyen, Norway
Mikkel T. Hornum
Department of Arctic Geology, University Centre in Svalbard (UNIS),
9171 Longyearbyen, Norway
Department of Geosciences and Natural Resource Management, University
of Copenhagen, 1350 Copenhagen K, Copenhagen, Denmark
Kim Senger
Department of Arctic Geology, University Centre in Svalbard (UNIS),
9171 Longyearbyen, Norway
Kelly Redeker
Department of Biology, University of York, York, YO10 5DD, UK
Hanne H. Christiansen
Department of Arctic Geology, University Centre in Svalbard (UNIS),
9171 Longyearbyen, Norway
Søren Jessen
Department of Geosciences and Natural Resource Management, University
of Copenhagen, 1350 Copenhagen K, Copenhagen, Denmark
Peter Betlem
Department of Arctic Geology, University Centre in Svalbard (UNIS),
9171 Longyearbyen, Norway
Steve F. Thornton
Department of Civil and Structural Engineering, University of
Sheffield, Sheffield, S10 2TN, UK
Alexandra V. Turchyn
Department of Earth Sciences, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, CB2 3EQ, UK
Snorre Olaussen
Department of Arctic Geology, University Centre in Svalbard (UNIS),
9171 Longyearbyen, Norway
Alina Marca
School of Environmental Sciences, University of East Anglia, Norwich,
NR4 7TJ, UK
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Short summary
Methane stored below permafrost is an unknown quantity in the Arctic greenhouse gas budget. In coastal areas with rising sea levels, much of the methane seeps into the sea and is removed before it reaches the atmosphere. However, where land uplift outpaces rising sea levels, the former seabed freezes, pressurising methane-rich groundwater beneath, which then escapes via permafrost seepages called pingos. We describe this mechanism and the origins of the methane discharging from Svalbard pingos.
Methane stored below permafrost is an unknown quantity in the Arctic greenhouse gas budget. In...
