Articles | Volume 16, issue 4
https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-16-1247-2022
© Author(s) 2022. 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-16-1247-2022
© Author(s) 2022. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Research article
| 
08 Apr 2022
Research article |
| 08 Apr 2022
| 08 Apr 2022
A new Stefan equation to characterize the evolution of thermokarst lake and talik geometry
Department of Civil and Architectural Engineering, University of
Wyoming, Laramie, WY 82071, USA
Benjamin M. Jones
Institute of Northern Engineering, University of Alaska Fairbanks,
Fairbanks, Alaska 99775, USA
Andrew D. Parsekian
Department of Geology and Geophysics, University of Wyoming, Laramie,
WY 82071, USA
Department of Civil and Architectural Engineering, University of
Wyoming, Laramie, WY 82071, USA
Kenneth M. Hinkel
Department of Geological and Mining Engineering and Sciences, Michigan
Technological University, Houghton, MI 49931, USA
Katsu Yamatani
Department of Urban Science, Meijo University, 4-102-9 Yadaminami,
Higashi, Nagoya 461-8534, Japan
Mikhail Kanevskiy
Institute of Northern Engineering, University of Alaska Fairbanks,
Fairbanks, Alaska 99775, USA
Rodrigo C. Rangel
Department of Geology and Geophysics, University of Wyoming, Laramie,
WY 82071, USA
Amy L. Breen
International Arctic Research Center, University of Alaska Fairbanks,
Fairbanks, Alaska, USA
Helena Bergstedt
Institute of Northern Engineering, University of Alaska Fairbanks,
Fairbanks, Alaska 99775, USA
b.geos, Vienna, Austria
Related authors
Noriaki Ohara, Andrew D. Parsekian, Benjamin M. Jones, Rodrigo C. Rangel, Kenneth M. Hinkel, and Rui A. P. Perdigão
The Cryosphere, 18, 5139–5152, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-18-5139-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-18-5139-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
Snow distribution characterization is essential for accurate snow water estimation for water resource prediction from existing in situ observations and remote-sensing data at a finite spatial resolution. Four different observed snow distribution datasets were analyzed for Gaussianity. We found that non-Gaussianity of snow distribution is a signature of the wind redistribution effect. Generally, seasonal snowpack can be approximated well by a Gaussian distribution for a fully snow-covered area.
Fabian Seemann, Michael Zech, Maren Jenrich, Guido Grosse, Benjamin M. Jones, Claire Treat, Lutz Schirrmeister, Susanne Liebner, and Jens Strauss
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2025-3727, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2025-3727, 2025
This preprint is open for discussion and under review for Biogeosciences (BG).
Short summary
Short summary
Arctic coastal landscapes, like those in northernmost Alaska, often contain saline sediments that are more prone to thawing. We studied six sediment cores to understand how thawing and salinity affect organic carbon breakdown and land change. Our results show that salinity speeds up organic matter loss when permafrost thaws. This highlights the overlooked risk of salinity in shaping Arctic landscapes and carbon release as the climate continues to warm.
Anna C. Talucci, Michael M. Loranty, Jean E. Holloway, Brendan M. Rogers, Heather D. Alexander, Natalie Baillargeon, Jennifer L. Baltzer, Logan T. Berner, Amy Breen, Leya Brodt, Brian Buma, Jacqueline Dean, Clement J. F. Delcourt, Lucas R. Diaz, Catherine M. Dieleman, Thomas A. Douglas, Gerald V. Frost, Benjamin V. Gaglioti, Rebecca E. Hewitt, Teresa Hollingsworth, M. Torre Jorgenson, Mark J. Lara, Rachel A. Loehman, Michelle C. Mack, Kristen L. Manies, Christina Minions, Susan M. Natali, Jonathan A. O'Donnell, David Olefeldt, Alison K. Paulson, Adrian V. Rocha, Lisa B. Saperstein, Tatiana A. Shestakova, Seeta Sistla, Oleg Sizov, Andrey Soromotin, Merritt R. Turetsky, Sander Veraverbeke, and Michelle A. Walvoord
Earth Syst. Sci. Data, 17, 2887–2909, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-17-2887-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-17-2887-2025, 2025
Short summary
Short summary
Wildfires have the potential to accelerate permafrost thaw and the associated feedbacks to climate change. We assembled a dataset of permafrost thaw depth measurements from burned and unburned sites contributed by researchers from across the northern high-latitude region. We estimated maximum thaw depth for each measurement, which addresses a key challenge: the ability to assess impacts of wildfire on maximum thaw depth when measurement timing varies.
Frieda P. Giest, Maren Jenrich, Guido Grosse, Benjamin M. Jones, Kai Mangelsdorf, Torben Windirsch, and Jens Strauss
Biogeosciences, 22, 2871–2887, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-22-2871-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-22-2871-2025, 2025
Short summary
Short summary
Climate warming causes permafrost to thaw, releasing greenhouse gases and affecting ecosystems. We studied sediments from Arctic coastal landscapes, including land, lakes, lagoons, and the ocean, finding that organic carbon storage and quality vary with landscape features and saltwater influence. Freshwater and land areas store more carbon, while saltwater reduces its quality. These findings improve predictions of Arctic responses to climate change and their impact on global carbon cycling.
Constanze Reinken, Victor Brovkin, Philipp de Vrese, Ingmar Nitze, Helena Bergstedt, and Guido Grosse
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2025-1817, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2025-1817, 2025
This preprint is open for discussion and under review for The Cryosphere (TC).
Short summary
Short summary
Thermokarst lakes are dynamic features of ice-rich permafrost landscapes, altering energy, water and carbon cycles, but have so far mostly been modeled on site-level scale. A deterministic modelling approach would be challenging on larger scales due to the lack of extensive high-resolution data of sub-surface conditions. We therefore develop a conceptual stochastic model of thermokarst lake dynamics that treats the involved processes as probabilistic.
Annett Bartsch, Rodrigue Tanguy, Helena Bergstedt, Clemens von Baeckmann, Hans Tømmervik, Marc Macias-Fauria, Juha Lemmentiynen, Kimmo Rautiainen, Chiara Gruber, and Bruce C. Forbes
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2025-1358, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2025-1358, 2025
Short summary
Short summary
We identified similarities between sea ice dynamics and conditions on land across the Arctic. Significant correlations north of 60°N was more common for snow water equivalent and permafrost ground temperature than for the vegetation parameters. Changes across all the different parameters could be specifically determined for Eastern Siberia. The results provide a baseline for future studies on common drivers of essential climate parameters and causative effects across the Arctic.
Barbara Widhalm, Annett Bartsch, Tazio Strozzi, Nina Jones, Artem Khomutov, Elena Babkina, Marina Leibman, Rustam Khairullin, Mathias Göckede, Helena Bergstedt, Clemens von Baeckmann, and Xaver Muri
The Cryosphere, 19, 1103–1133, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-19-1103-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-19-1103-2025, 2025
Short summary
Short summary
Mapping soil moisture in Arctic permafrost regions is crucial for various activities, but it is challenging with typical satellite methods due to the landscape's diversity. Seasonal freezing and thawing cause the ground to periodically rise and subside. Our research demonstrates that this seasonal ground settlement, measured with Sentinel-1 satellite data, is larger in areas with wetter soils. This method helps to monitor permafrost degradation.
Annett Bartsch, Xaver Muri, Markus Hetzenecker, Kimmo Rautiainen, Helena Bergstedt, Jan Wuite, Thomas Nagler, and Dmitry Nicolsky
The Cryosphere, 19, 459–483, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-19-459-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-19-459-2025, 2025
Short summary
Short summary
We developed a robust freeze–thaw detection approach, applying a constant threshold to Copernicus Sentinel-1 data that is suitable for tundra regions. All global, coarser-resolution products, tested with the resulting benchmarking dataset, are of value for freeze–thaw retrieval, although differences were found depending on the seasons, particularly during the spring and autumn transition.
Noriaki Ohara, Andrew D. Parsekian, Benjamin M. Jones, Rodrigo C. Rangel, Kenneth M. Hinkel, and Rui A. P. Perdigão
The Cryosphere, 18, 5139–5152, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-18-5139-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-18-5139-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
Snow distribution characterization is essential for accurate snow water estimation for water resource prediction from existing in situ observations and remote-sensing data at a finite spatial resolution. Four different observed snow distribution datasets were analyzed for Gaussianity. We found that non-Gaussianity of snow distribution is a signature of the wind redistribution effect. Generally, seasonal snowpack can be approximated well by a Gaussian distribution for a fully snow-covered area.
Lydia Stolpmann, Ingmar Nitze, Ingeborg Bussmann, Benjamin M. Jones, Josefine Lenz, Hanno Meyer, Juliane Wolter, and Guido Grosse
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2024-2822, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2024-2822, 2024
Preprint archived
Short summary
Short summary
We combine hydrochemical and lake change data to show consequences of permafrost thaw induced lake changes on hydrochemistry, which are relevant for the global carbon cycle. We found higher methane concentrations in lakes that do not freeze to the ground and show that lagoons have lower methane concentrations than lakes. Our detailed lake sampling approach show higher concentrations in Dissolved Organic Carbon in areas of higher erosion rates, that might increase under the climate warming.
Clemens von Baeckmann, Annett Bartsch, Helena Bergstedt, Aleksandra Efimova, Barbara Widhalm, Dorothee Ehrich, Timo Kumpula, Alexander Sokolov, and Svetlana Abdulmanova
The Cryosphere, 18, 4703–4722, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-18-4703-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-18-4703-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
Lakes are common features in Arctic permafrost areas. Land cover change following their drainage needs to be monitored since it has implications for ecology and the carbon cycle. Satellite data are key in this context. We compared a common vegetation index approach with a novel land-cover-monitoring scheme. Land cover information provides specific information on wetland features. We also showed that the bioclimatic gradients play a significant role after drainage within the first 10 years.
Xiaoran Zhu, Dong Chen, Maruko Kogure, Elizabeth Hoy, Logan T. Berner, Amy L. Breen, Abhishek Chatterjee, Scott J. Davidson, Gerald V. Frost, Teresa N. Hollingsworth, Go Iwahana, Randi R. Jandt, Anja N. Kade, Tatiana V. Loboda, Matt J. Macander, Michelle Mack, Charles E. Miller, Eric A. Miller, Susan M. Natali, Martha K. Raynolds, Adrian V. Rocha, Shiro Tsuyuzaki, Craig E. Tweedie, Donald A. Walker, Mathew Williams, Xin Xu, Yingtong Zhang, Nancy French, and Scott Goetz
Earth Syst. Sci. Data, 16, 3687–3703, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-16-3687-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-16-3687-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
The Arctic tundra is experiencing widespread physical and biological changes, largely in response to warming, yet scientific understanding of tundra ecology and change remains limited due to relatively limited accessibility and studies compared to other terrestrial biomes. To support synthesis research and inform future studies, we created the Synthesized Alaskan Tundra Field Dataset (SATFiD), which brings together field datasets and includes vegetation, active-layer, and fire properties.
Annett Bartsch, Aleksandra Efimova, Barbara Widhalm, Xaver Muri, Clemens von Baeckmann, Helena Bergstedt, Ksenia Ermokhina, Gustaf Hugelius, Birgit Heim, and Marina Leibman
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 28, 2421–2481, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-28-2421-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-28-2421-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
Wetness gradients and landcover diversity for the entire Arctic tundra have been assessed using a novel satellite-data-based map. Patterns of lakes, wetlands, general soil moisture conditions and vegetation physiognomy are represented at 10 m. About 40 % of the area north of the treeline falls into three units of dry types, with limited shrub growth. Wetter regions have higher landcover diversity than drier regions.
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.
Nathan Alec Conroy, Jeffrey M. Heikoop, Emma Lathrop, Dea Musa, Brent D. Newman, Chonggang Xu, Rachael E. McCaully, Carli A. Arendt, Verity G. Salmon, Amy Breen, Vladimir Romanovsky, Katrina E. Bennett, Cathy J. Wilson, and Stan D. Wullschleger
The Cryosphere, 17, 3987–4006, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-17-3987-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-17-3987-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
This study combines field observations, non-parametric statistical analyses, and thermodynamic modeling to characterize the environmental causes of the spatial variability in soil pore water solute concentrations across two Arctic catchments with varying extents of permafrost. Vegetation type, soil moisture and redox conditions, weathering and hydrologic transport, and mineral solubility were all found to be the primary drivers of the existing spatial variability of some soil pore water solutes.
Annett Bartsch, Helena Bergstedt, Georg Pointner, Xaver Muri, Kimmo Rautiainen, Leena Leppänen, Kyle Joly, Aleksandr Sokolov, Pavel Orekhov, Dorothee Ehrich, and Eeva Mariatta Soininen
The Cryosphere, 17, 889–915, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-17-889-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-17-889-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
Rain-on-snow (ROS) events occur across many regions of the terrestrial Arctic in mid-winter. In extreme cases ice layers form which affect wildlife, vegetation and soils beyond the duration of the event. The fusion of multiple types of microwave satellite observations is suggested for the creation of a climate data record. Retrieval is most robust in the tundra biome, where records can be used to identify extremes and the results can be applied to impact studies at regional scale.
Mauricio Arboleda-Zapata, Michael Angelopoulos, Pier Paul Overduin, Guido Grosse, Benjamin M. Jones, and Jens Tronicke
The Cryosphere, 16, 4423–4445, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-16-4423-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-16-4423-2022, 2022
Short summary
Short summary
We demonstrate how we can reliably estimate the thawed–frozen permafrost interface with its associated uncertainties in subsea permafrost environments using 2D electrical resistivity tomography (ERT) data. In addition, we show how further analyses considering 1D inversion and sensitivity assessments can help quantify and better understand 2D ERT inversion results. Our results illustrate the capabilities of the ERT method to get insights into the development of the subsea permafrost.
Jason A. Clark, Elchin E. Jafarov, Ken D. Tape, Benjamin M. Jones, and Victor Stepanenko
Geosci. Model Dev., 15, 7421–7448, https://doi.org/10.5194/gmd-15-7421-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/gmd-15-7421-2022, 2022
Short summary
Short summary
Lakes in the Arctic are important reservoirs of heat. Under climate warming scenarios, we expect Arctic lakes to warm the surrounding frozen ground. We simulate water temperatures in three Arctic lakes in northern Alaska over several years. Our results show that snow depth and lake ice strongly affect water temperatures during the frozen season and that more heat storage by lakes would enhance thawing of frozen ground.
Olli Karjalainen, Juha Aalto, Mikhail Z. Kanevskiy, Miska Luoto, and Jan Hjort
Earth Syst. Sci. Data Discuss., https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-2022-144, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-2022-144, 2022
Manuscript not accepted for further review
Short summary
Short summary
The amount of underground ice in the Arctic permafrost has a central role when assessing climate change-induced changes to natural conditions and human activity in the Arctic. Here, we present compilations of field-verified ground ice observations and high-resolution estimates of Northern Hemisphere ground ice content. The data highlight the variability of ground ice contents across the Arctic and provide called-for information to be used in modelling and environmental assessment studies.
M. R. Udawalpola, C. Witharana, A. Hasan, A. Liljedahl, M. Ward Jones, and B. Jones
Int. Arch. Photogramm. Remote Sens. Spatial Inf. Sci., XLVI-M-2-2022, 203–208, https://doi.org/10.5194/isprs-archives-XLVI-M-2-2022-203-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/isprs-archives-XLVI-M-2-2022-203-2022, 2022
Lydia Stolpmann, Caroline Coch, Anne Morgenstern, Julia Boike, Michael Fritz, Ulrike Herzschuh, Kathleen Stoof-Leichsenring, Yury Dvornikov, Birgit Heim, Josefine Lenz, Amy Larsen, Katey Walter Anthony, Benjamin Jones, Karen Frey, and Guido Grosse
Biogeosciences, 18, 3917–3936, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-18-3917-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-18-3917-2021, 2021
Short summary
Short summary
Our new database summarizes DOC concentrations of 2167 water samples from 1833 lakes in permafrost regions across the Arctic to provide insights into linkages between DOC and environment. We found increasing lake DOC concentration with decreasing permafrost extent and higher DOC concentrations in boreal permafrost sites compared to tundra sites. Our study shows that DOC concentration depends on the environmental properties of a lake, especially permafrost extent, ecoregion, and vegetation.
Claire E. Simpson, Christopher D. Arp, Yongwei Sheng, Mark L. Carroll, Benjamin M. Jones, and Laurence C. Smith
Earth Syst. Sci. Data, 13, 1135–1150, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-13-1135-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-13-1135-2021, 2021
Short summary
Short summary
Sonar depth point measurements collected at 17 lakes on the Arctic Coastal Plain of Alaska are used to train and validate models to map lake bathymetry. These models predict depth from remotely sensed lake color and are able to explain 58.5–97.6 % of depth variability. To calculate water volumes, we integrate this modeled bathymetry with lake surface area. Knowledge of Alaskan lake bathymetries and volumes is crucial to better understanding water storage, energy balance, and ecological habitat.
Ingmar Nitze, Sarah W. Cooley, Claude R. Duguay, Benjamin M. Jones, and Guido Grosse
The Cryosphere, 14, 4279–4297, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-14-4279-2020, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-14-4279-2020, 2020
Short summary
Short summary
In summer 2018, northwestern Alaska was affected by widespread lake drainage which strongly exceeded previous observations. We analyzed the spatial and temporal patterns with remote sensing observations, weather data and lake-ice simulations. The preceding fall and winter season was the second warmest and wettest on record, causing the destabilization of permafrost and elevated water levels which likely led to widespread and rapid lake drainage during or right after ice breakup.
Cited articles
Arp, C. D., Jones, B. M., Schmutz, J. A., Urban, F. E., and Jorgenson, M.
T.: Two mechanisms of aquatic and terrestrial habitat change along an
Alaskan Arctic coastline, Polar Biol., 33, 1629–1640, 2010.
Arp, C. D., Jones, B. M., Urban, F. E., and Grosse, G.: Hydrogeomorphic
processes of thermokarst lakes with grounded-ice and floating-ice regimes
on the Arctic coastal plain, Alaska, Hydrol. Process., 25, 2422–2438, 2011.
Arp, C. D., Whitman, M. S., Jones, B. M., Kemnitz, R., Grosse, G., and
Urban, F. E.: Drainage network structure and hydrologic behavior of three
lake-rich watersheds on the Arctic Coastal Plain, Alaska, Arct. Antarct. Alp. Res., 44, 385–398,
2012.
Arp, C. D., Jones, B. M., Liljedahl, A. K., Hinkel, K. M., and Welker, J.
A.: Depth, ice thickness, and ice-out timing cause divergent hydrologic
responses among Arctic lakes, Water Resour. Res., 51, 9379–9401,
2015.
Arp, C. D., Jones, B. M., Grosse, G., Bondurant, A. C., Romanovsky, V. E.,
Hinkel, K. M., and Parsekian, A. D.: Threshold sensitivity of shallow
Arctic lakes and sublake permafrost to changing winter climate, Geophys.
Res. Lett., 43, 6358–6365, 2016.
Ashton, A. D., Murray, A. B., Littlewood, R., Lewis, D. A., and Hong, P.:
Fetch-limited self-organization of elongate water bodies, Geology, 37,
187–190, 2009.
Black, R. F. and Barksdale, W. L.: Oriented lakes of northern Alaska,
J. Geol., 57, 105–118, 1949.
Brewer, M. C.: The thermal regime of an arctic lake, Eos T.
Am. Geophys. Un., 39, 278–284, 1958.
Burn, C. R.: Tundra lakes and permafrost, Richards Island, western Arctic
coast, Canada, Can. J. Earth Sci., 39, 1281–1298,
2002.
Burn, C. R. and Smith, M. W.: Development of thermokarst lakes during the
Holocene at sites near Mayo, Yukon Territory, Permafrost Periglac., 1, 161–175, 1990.
Carslaw, H. S. and Jaeger, J. C.: Conduction of heat in solids, Oxford,
Clarendon Press, ISBN-10: 0198533683, 1959.
Carson, C. E.: Radiocarbon dating of lacustrine strands in Arctic Alaska,
Arctic, 21, 12–26, https://doi.org/10.14430/arctic3242, 1968.
Carson, C. E. and Hussey, K. M.: The oriented lakes of Arctic Alaska,
J. Geol., 70, 417–439, 1962.
Carter, L. D.: A Pleistocene sand sea on the Alaskan Arctic coastal plain,
Science, 211, 381–383, 1981.
Cassel, K. W.: Variational methods with applications in science and
engineering, Cambridge University Press, https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9781139136860, 2013.
Courant, R. and Hilbert, D.: Methods of mathematical physics, B. Am. Math. Soc., 60, 578–579,
1954.
Creighton, A. L., Parsekian, A. D., Angelopoulos, M., Jones, B. M.,
Bondurant, A., Engram, M., and Arp, C. D.: Transient electromagnetic
surveys for the determination of talik depth and geometry beneath
thermokarst lakes, J. Geophys. Res.-Sol. Ea., 123,
9310–9323, 2018.
Czudek, T. and Demek, J.: Thermokarst in Siberia and its influence on the
development of lowland relief, Quaternary Res., 1, 103–120, 1970.
Devoie, É.G., Craig, J. R., Dominico, M., Carpino, O., Connon, R. F.,
Rudy, A. C., and Quinton, W. L.: Mechanisms of Discontinuous Permafrost Thaw in
Peatlands, J. Geophys. Res.-Earth, 126,
e2021JF006204, https://doi.org/10.1029/2021JF006204, 2021.
DeWalle, D. R. and Rango, A.: Principles of snow hydrology, Cambridge
University Press, https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9780511535673, 2008.
Doolittle, J. A., Hardisky, M. A., and Gross, M. F.: A ground-penetrating
radar study of active layer thicknesses in areas of moist sedge and wet
sedge tundra near Bethel, Alaska, USA, Arctic Alpine Res., 22,
175–182, 1990.
Engram, M.: Floating and bedfast lake ice regimes across Arctic Alaska using space-borne SAR imagery from 1992–2016, Arctic Data Center [data set], https://doi.org/10.18739/A2CJ87K8H, 2018.
Engram, M., Arp, C. D., Jones, B. M., Ajadi, O. A., and Meyer, F. J.:
Analyzing floating and bedfast lake ice regimes across Arctic Alaska using
25 years of space-borne SAR imagery, Remote Sens. Environ., 209,
660–676, 2018.
Farquharson, L., Anthony, K. W., Bigelow, N., Edwards, M., and Grosse, G.:
Facies analysis of yedoma thermokarst lakes on the northern Seward
Peninsula, Alaska, Sediment. Geol., 340, 25–37, 2016.
French, H. M.: The Periglacial Environment, 4th Edn., John Wiley and Sons
Ltd., Chichester, UK, 515 pp., ISBN: 978-1-119-13278-3, 2018.
Gelfand, I. M. and Fomin, S. V.: Calculus of variations, revised English
edition translated and edited by: Silverman, R. A., Prentice Hall, Englewood Clims, NJ, 7, 10–11, 1963.
Grosse, G., Jones, B. M., and Arp, C. D.: Thermokarst lakes, drainage, and
drained basins, in: Treatise on Geomorphology, edited by: Shroder, J., Giardino, R., and Harbor, J., Academic Press, San Diego, CA, vol. 8,
Glacial and Periglacial Geomorphology, 325–353, https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-12-374739-6.00216-5, 2013.
Heslop, J. K., Walter Anthony, K. M., Sepulveda-Jauregui, A., Martinez-Cruz, K., Bondurant, A., Grosse, G., and Jones, M. C.: Thermokarst lake methanogenesis along a complete talik profile, Biogeosciences, 12, 4317–4331, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-12-4317-2015, 2015.
Hinkel, K. M. and Arp, C.: Estimating talik depth beneath lakes in Arctic
Alaska, in: Proceedings 7th Canadian Permafrost Conference and 68th Canadian
Geotechnical Conference, Quebec City, Canada, 20–23, 2015.
Hinkel, K. M., Frohn, R. C., Nelson, F. E., Eisner, W. R., and Beck, R. A.:
Morphometric and spatial analysis of thaw lakes and drained thaw lake basins
in the western Arctic Coastal Plain, Alaska, Permafrost Periglac., 16, 327–341, 2005.
Hinkel, K. M., Sheng, Y., Lenters, J. D., Lyons, E. A., Beck, R. A., Eisner,
W. R., and Wang, J.: Thermokarst lakes on the Arctic coastal plain of
Alaska: geomorphic controls on bathymetry, Permafrost Periglac., 23, 218–230, 2012.
Hopkins, D. M.: Thaw lakes and thaw sinks in the Imuruk Lake area, Seward
Peninsula, Alaska, J. Geol., 57, 119–131, 1949.
Hopkins, D. M., Karlstrom, T., Black, R., Williams, J., Pewe, T., Fernold,
A., and Muller, E.: Permafrost and ground water in Alaska, a shorter
contribution to the general geology, US Geol. Surv. Prof. Paper 264, 1955.
Hunter, J. A., MacAulay, H. A., Gagné, R. M., Burns, R. A., Harrison, T.
E., and Hawkins, J. P.: Drained lake experiment for investigation of growth
of permafrost at Illisarvik, Northwest Territories – initial geophysical
results, Current research, part C. Geological Survey of Canada, Paper, 67–76, 1981.
Jeffries, M. O., Morris, K., and Liston, G. E.: A method to determine lake
depth and water availability on the North Slope of Alaska with spaceborne
imaging radar and numerical ice growth modelling, Arctic, 49, 367–374, https://doi.org/10.14430/arctic1212, 1996.
Jeffries, M. O., Zhang, T., Frey, K., Kozlenko, N.: Estimating late-winter heat flow to the atmosphere from the lake-dominated Alaskan North Slope, J. Glaciol., 45, 315–24, https://doi.org/10.3189/S0022143000001817, 1999.
Johnston, G. H. and Brown, R. J. E.: Occurrence of permafrost at an Arctic
lake, Nature, 211, 952–953, 1966.
Jones, B. M., Grosse, G. D. A. C., Arp, C. D., Jones, M. C., Anthony, K. W.,
and Romanovsky, V. E.: Modern thermokarst lake dynamics in the continuous
permafrost zone, northern Seward Peninsula, Alaska, J. Geophys. Res.-Biogeo., 116, G00M03, https://doi.org/10.1029/2011JG001666, 2011.
Jones, B. M., Grosse, G., Farquharson, L. M., Roy-Léveillée, P.,
Veremeeva A., Kanevskiy, M. Z., Gaglioti, B. V., Breen, A. L., Parsekian, A. D.,
Ulrich, M., and Hinkel, K. M.: Lake and drained lake basin systems in lowland
permafrost regions, Nature Rev. Earth Environ., 3, 85–98, https://doi.org/10.1038/s43017-021-00238-9, 2022.
Jorgenson, M. T.: Thermokarst terrains, in: Treatise on Geomorphology, edited by: Shroder, J.,
Giardino, R., amd Harbor, J., Academic Press,
San Diego, CA, vol. 8, Glacial and Periglacial Geomorphology, 313–324,
2013.
Jorgenson, M. T. and Shur, Y.: Evolution of lakes and basins in northern
Alaska and discussion of the thaw lake cycle, J. Geophys.
Res.-Earth, 112, F02S17, https://doi.org/10.1029/2006JF000531, 2007.
Jorgenson, T., Yoshikawa, K., Kanevskiy, M., Shur, Y., Romanovsky, V.,
Marchenko, S., Grosse, G., Brown, J., and Jones, B.: Permafrost
characteristics of Alaska, in: Proceedings of the 9th International
Conference on Permafrost, edited by: Kane, D. L. and Hinkel, K. M., Extended Abstracts, 29 June–3 July 2008,
Fairbanks, AK, Institute of Northern
Engineering, University of Alaska Fairbanks, 121–122, 2008.
Kanevskiy, M., Shur, Y., Fortier, D., Jorgenson, M. T., and Stephani, E.:
Cryostratigraphy of late Pleistocene syngenetic permafrost (yedoma) in
northern Alaska, Itkillik River exposure, Quaternary Res., 75,
584–596, 2011.
Kanevskiy, M., Shur, Y., Jorgenson, M. T., Ping, C. L., Michaelson, G. J.,
Fortier, D., and Tumskoy, V.: Ground ice in the upper permafrost of the
Beaufort Sea coast of Alaska, Cold Reg. Sci. Technol., 85,
56–70, 2013.
Kessler, M. A., Plug, L. J., and Anthony, K. W.: Simulating the decadal-to
millennial-scale dynamics of morphology and sequestered carbon mobilization
of two thermokarst lakes in NW Alaska, J. Geophys. Res.-Biogeo., 117, G00M06, https://doi.org/10.1029/2011JG001796, 2012.
Kurylyk, B. L. and Hayashi, M.: Improved Stefan equation correction
factors to accommodate sensible heat storage during soil freezing or
thawing, Permafrost Periglac., 27, 189–203, 2016.
Lachenbruch, A. H., Brewer, M. C., Greene, G. W., and Marshall, B. V.: Temperatures
in permafrost, in: Temperature – Its Measurement and Control in Science and
Industry, edited by: Herzfeld, C. M., 3, Reinhold Publishing, New York, 791–803,
1962.
Lenz, J., Jones, B. M., Wetterich, S., Tjallingii, R., Fritz, M., Arp, C. D., Rudaya, N., and
Grosse, G.: Impacts of shore expansion and catchment characteristics on
lacustrine thermokarst records in permafrost lowlands, Alaska Arctic Coastal
Plain, arktos, 2, 1–5, 2016.
Ling, F. and Zhang, T.: Impact of the timing and duration of seasonal snow
cover on the active layer and permafrost in the Alaskan Arctic, Permafrost Periglac., 14,
141–150, 2003a.
Ling, F. and Zhang, T.: Numerical simulation of permafrost thermal regime
and talik development under shallow thaw lakes on the Alaskan Arctic Coastal
Plain, J. Geophys. Res., 108, 4511, https://doi.org/10.1029/2002JD003014, 2003b.
Livingstone, D. A.: On the orientation of lake basins, Am. J.
Sci., 252, 547–554, 1954.
Lunardini, V. J.: Heat Transfer in Cold Climates, Van Nostrand Reinhold Co.,
New York, NY, 731, ISBN: 9780442262501, 1981.
Mackay, J. R.: Pingos of the Pleistocene Mackenzie delta area, Geograph. Bull., 18, 1–63, 1962.
Mackay, J. R.: Lake stability in an ice-rich permafrost environment: examples
from the western Arctic coast, in:
Aquatic Ecosystems in Semi-Arid Regions: Implications for Resource
Management, edited by: Robarts, R. D. and Bothwell, M. L., NHRI Symposium Series 7, Environment Canada, Saskatoon,
Saskatchewan, 1–26, 1992.
McClymont, A. F., Hayashi, M., Bentley, L. R., and Christensen, B. S.:
Geophysical imaging and thermal modeling of subsurface morphology and thaw
evolution of discontinuous permafrost, J. Geophys. Res.-Earth, 118, 1826–1837, 2013.
Ohara, N. and Yamatani, K.: Theoretical Stable Hydraulic Section based on the
Principle of Least Action, Sci. Rep., 9, 7957, https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-019-44347-4, 2019.
O'Neill, H. B., Roy-Leveillee, P., Lebedeva, L., and Ling, F.: Recent
advances (2010–2019) in the study of taliks, Permafrost Periglac., 31, 346–357, 2020.
Painter, S. L., Coon, E. T., Atchley, A. L., Berndt, M., Garimella, R.,
Moulton, J. D., and Wilson, C. J.: Integrated surface/subsurface
permafrost thermal hydrology: Model formulation and proof-of-concept
simulations, Water Resour. Res., 52, 6062–6077, 2016.
Parsekian, A. D., Creighton, A. L., Jones, B. M., Bondurant, A., and Arp, C. D.: Arctic lake transient electromagnetic (TEM) soundings 2016–2017,
Arctic Data Center [data set], https://doi.org/10.18739/A20K35, 2018.
Parsekian, A. D., Creighton, A. L., Jones, B. M., and Arp, C. D.: Surface
nuclear magnetic resonance observations of permafrost thaw below floating,
bedfast, and transitional ice lakes, Geophysics, 84, EN33–EN45, 2019.
Patel, P. D.: Interface conditions in heat-conduction problems with change
of phase, AIAA J., 6, 2454–2454, 1968.
Pilon, J. A., Annan, A. P., and Davis, J. L.: Monitoring permafrost ground
conditions with ground probing radar (GPR), in: Workshop on Permafrost
Geophysics, Golden, Colarado, US Army Corps of Engineers, Cold Regions
Research and Engineering Laboratory, Hanover, New Hampshire, CRREL Special
Report, 85 pp., 1985.
Plug, L. J., and West, J. J.: Thaw lake expansion in a two-dimensional
coupled model of heat transfer, thaw subsidence, and mass movement, J. Geophys. Res.-Earth, 114, F01002, https://doi.org/10.1029/2006JF000740,
2009.
Rampton, V. N.: Quaternary geology of the Yukon coastal plain, ISBN: 9780660106373, 1982.
Rangel, R. C., Parsekian, A. D., Farquharson, L. M., Jones, B. M., Ohara, N., Creighton, A.
L., Gaglioti, B. V., Kanevskiy, M., Breen, A. L., Bergstedt, H.,
Romanovsky, V. E., and Hinkel, K. M.: Geophysical Observations of Taliks Below
Drained Lake Basins on the Arctic Coastal Plain of Alaska, J.
Geophys. Res.-Sol. Ea. 126, e2020JB020889 https://doi.org/10.1029/2020JB020889, 2021.
Reeve, D., Chadwick, A., and Fleming, C.: Coastal engineering: processes,
theory and design practice, CRC Press, https://doi.org/10.2112/JCOASTRES-D-19A-00014.1, 2018.
Rex, R. W.: Hydrodynamic analysis of circulation and orientation of lakes in
Northern Alaska, in: Geology of the Arctic, edited by: Rauch, G. O., University of
Toronto Press, Toronto, eISBN: 978-1-4875-8496-2, 1021–1043, 1961.
Rowland, J. C., Travis, B. J., and Wilson, C. J.: The role of advective heat
transport in talik development beneath lakes and ponds in discontinuous
permafrost, Geophys. Res. Lett., 38, L17504, https://doi.org/10.1029/2011GL048497, 2011.
Roy-Leveillee, P. and Burn, C. R.: Near-shore talik development beneath
shallow water in expanding thermokarst lakes, Old Crow Flats, Yukon, J. Geophys. Res.-Earth, 122, 1070–1089, 2017.
Schirrmeister, L., Froese, D., Tumskoy, V., Grosse, G., and Wetterich, S.:
Yedoma: Late Pleistocene ice-rich syngenetic permafrost of Beringia,
Encyclopedia of Quaternary Science, 2nd Edn., Elsevier, 542–552, https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-444-53643-3.00106-0, 2013.
Schuur, E. A., McGuire, A. D., Schädel, C., Grosse, G., Harden, J. W.,
Hayes, D. J., and Natali, S. M.: Climate change and the permafrost
carbon feedback, Nature, 520, 171–179, 2015.
Schwamborn, G., Andreev, A., Rachold, V., Hubberten, H. W., Grigoriev, M.
N., Tumskoy, V., and Dorozkhina, M. V.: Evolution of Lake Nikolay, Arga
Island, Western Lena River delta, during late Pleistocene and Holocene time,
Polarforschung, 70, 69–82, 2000.
Séjourné, A., Costard, F., Fedorov, A., Gargani, J., Skorve, J.,
Massé, M., and Mège, D.: Evolution of the banks of thermokarst
lakes in Central Yakutia (Central Siberia) due to retrogressive thaw slump
activity controlled by insolation, Geomorphology, 241, 31–40, 2015.
Sellmann, P. V.: The classification and geomorphic implications of thaw lakes on the Arctic Coastal Plain, Alaska, Vol. 344, US Department of Defense, Department of the
Army, Corps of Engineers, Cold Regions Research and Engineering Laboratory,
Report, 21 pp., 1975.
Shur, Y. and Osterkamp, T.: Thermokarst, Report INE 06.11. University of
Alaska Fairbanks, Institute of Northern Engineering, Fairbanks, AK, 50 pp.,
2007.
Silvester, R.: Coastal Engineering, Vols. 1 and 2, Elsevier, Oxford, ISBN-10: 0444411011, 1974.
Silvester, R. and Hsu, J. R.: Coastal Stabilization, Advanced Series on
Ocean Engineering, 14, ISBN 10: 9810231377, ISBN 13: 9789810231378, 1997.
Singer-Loginova, I. and Singer, H. M.: The phase field technique for
modeling multiphase materials, Reports on progress in physics, 71,
106501, https://doi.org/10.1088/0034-4885/71/10/106501, 2008.
Stefan, J.: Über die Theorie der Eisbildung, insbesondere über die
Eisbildung im Polarmee, Ann. Phys. Chem., 42, 269–286, 1891.
Sullivan, T. D., Parsekian, A. D., Sharp, J., Hanke, P. J., Thalasso, F.,
Shapley, M., and Walter Anthony, K.: Influence of permafrost thaw on an
extreme geologic methane seep, Permafrost Periglac., 32, 484–502, https://doi.org/10.1002/ppp.2114, 2021.
Tomirdiaro, S. V.: Evolution of lowland landscapes in northeastern Asia
during late Quaternary time, in: Paleoecology of Beringia,
Academic Press, 29–37, https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-12-355860-2.50009-0, 1982.
van Everdingen, R. O. (Ed.): Multi-Language Glossary of Permafrost and
Related Ground-ice Terms, International Permafrost Association, The Arctic
Institute of North America, University of Calgary, Calgary, 268 pp., 1998.
West, J. J. and Plug, L. J.: Time-dependent morphology of thaw lakes and
taliks in deep and shallow ground ice, J. Geophys. Res., 113, F01009,
https://doi.org/10.1029/2006JF000696, 2008.
Westermann, S., Schuler, T. V., Gisnås, K., and Etzelmüller, B.: Transient thermal modeling of permafrost conditions in Southern Norway, The Cryosphere, 7, 719–739, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-7-719-2013, 2013.
Short summary
New variational principle suggests that a semi-ellipsoid talik shape (3D Stefan equation) is optimum for incoming energy. However, the lake bathymetry tends to be less ellipsoidal due to the ice-rich layers near the surface. Wind wave erosion is likely responsible for the elongation of lakes, while thaw subsidence slows the wave effect and stabilizes the thermokarst lakes. The derived 3D Stefan equation was compared to the field-observed talik thickness data using geophysical methods.
New variational principle suggests that a semi-ellipsoid talik shape (3D Stefan equation) is...
