Articles | Volume 18, issue 4
https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-18-1773-2024
© Author(s) 2024. 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-18-1773-2024
© Author(s) 2024. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Research article
| 
17 Apr 2024
Research article |
| 17 Apr 2024
| 17 Apr 2024
InSAR-measured permafrost degradation of palsa peatlands in northern Sweden
Samuel Valman
Nottingham Geospatial Institute, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, NG7 2TU, UK
School of Geography, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, NG7 2RD, UK
Matthias B. Siewert
Department of Ecology and Environmental Sciences, Umeå University, Umeå, Sweden
Doreen Boyd
School of Geography, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, NG7 2RD, UK
Martha Ledger
School of Biosciences, University of Nottingham, Loughborough, LE12 5RD, UK
School of Biological Sciences, University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, China
David Gee
Terra Motion, Nottingham, NG7 2TU, UK
Betsabé de la Barreda-Bautista
School of Biosciences, University of Nottingham, Loughborough, LE12 5RD, UK
School of Geography, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, NG7 2RD, UK
Andrew Sowter
Terra Motion, Nottingham, NG7 2TU, UK
Sofie Sjögersten
CORRESPONDING AUTHOR
School of Biosciences, University of Nottingham, Loughborough, LE12 5RD, UK
Related authors
No articles found.
Anna-Maria Virkkala, Isabel Wargowsky, Judith Vogt, McKenzie A. Kuhn, Simran Madaan, Richard O'Keefe, Tiffany Windholz, Kyle A. Arndt, Brendan M. Rogers, Jennifer D. Watts, Kelcy Kent, Mathias Göckede, David Olefeldt, Gerard Rocher-Ros, Edward A. G. Schuur, David Bastviken, Kristoffer Aalstad, Kelly Aho, Joonatan Ala-Könni, Haley Alcock, Inge Althuizen, Christopher D. Arp, Jun Asanuma, Katrin Attermeyer, Mika Aurela, Sivakiruthika Balathandayuthabani, Alan Barr, Maialen Barret, Ochirbat Batkhishig, Christina Biasi, Mats P. Björkman, Andrew Black, Elena Blanc-Betes, Pascal Bodmer, Julia Boike, Abdullah Bolek, Frédéric Bouchard, Ingeborg Bussmann, Lea Cabrol, Eleonora Canfora, Sean Carey, Karel Castro-Morales, Namyi Chae, Andres Christen, Torben R. Christensen, Casper T. Christiansen, Housen Chu, Graham Clark, Francois Clayer, Patrick Crill, Christopher Cunada, Scott J. Davidson, Joshua F. Dean, Sigrid Dengel, Matteo Detto, Catherine Dieleman, Florent Domine, Egor Dyukarev, Colin Edgar, Bo Elberling, Craig A. Emmerton, Eugenie Euskirchen, Grant Falvo, Thomas Friborg, Michelle Garneau, Mariasilvia Giamberini, Mikhail V. Glagolev, Miquel A. Gonzalez-Meler, Gustaf Granath, Jón Guðmundsson, Konsta Happonen, Yoshinobu Harazono, Lorna Harris, Josh Hashemi, Nicholas Hasson, Janna Heerah, Liam Heffernan, Manuel Helbig, Warren Helgason, Michal Heliasz, Greg Henry, Geert Hensgens, Tetsuya Hiyama, Macall Hock, David Holl, Beth Holmes, Jutta Holst, Thomas Holst, Gabriel Hould-Gosselin, Elyn Humphreys, Jacqueline Hung, Jussi Huotari, Hiroki Ikawa, Danil V. Ilyasov, Mamoru Ishikawa, Go Iwahana, Hiroki Iwata, Marcin Antoni Jackowicz-Korczynski, Joachim Jansen, Järvi Järveoja, Vincent E. J. Jassey, Rasmus Jensen, Katharina Jentzsch, Robert G. Jespersen, Carl-Fredrik Johannesson, Chersity P. Jones, Anders Jonsson, Ji Young Jung, Sari Juutinen, Evan Kane, Jan Karlsson, Sergey Karsanaev, Kuno Kasak, Julia Kelly, Kasha Kempton, Marcus Klaus, George W. Kling, Natacha Kljun, Jacqueline Knutson, Hideki Kobayashi, John Kochendorfer, Kukka-Maaria Kohonen, Pasi Kolari, Mika Korkiakoski, Aino Korrensalo, Pirkko Kortelainen, Egle Koster, Kajar Koster, Ayumi Kotani, Praveena Krishnan, Juliya Kurbatova, Lars Kutzbach, Min Jung Kwon, Ethan D. Kyzivat, Jessica Lagroix, Theodore Langhorst, Elena Lapshina, Tuula Larmola, Klaus S. Larsen, Isabelle Laurion, Justin Ledman, Hanna Lee, A. Joshua Leffler, Lance Lesack, Anders Lindroth, David Lipson, Annalea Lohila, Efrén López-Blanco, Vincent L. St. Louis, Erik Lundin, Misha Luoto, Takashi Machimura, Marta Magnani, Avni Malhotra, Marja Maljanen, Ivan Mammarella, Elisa Männistö, Luca Belelli Marchesini, Phil Marsh, Pertti J. Martkainen, Maija E. Marushchak, Mikhail Mastepanov, Alex Mavrovic, Trofim Maximov, Christina Minions, Marco Montemayor, Tomoaki Morishita, Patrick Murphy, Daniel F. Nadeau, Erin Nicholls, Mats B. Nilsson, Anastasia Niyazova, Jenni Nordén, Koffi Dodji Noumonvi, Hannu Nykanen, Walter Oechel, Anne Ojala, Tomohiro Okadera, Sujan Pal, Alexey V. Panov, Tim Papakyriakou, Dario Papale, Sang-Jong Park, Frans-Jan W. Parmentier, Gilberto Pastorello, Mike Peacock, Matthias Peichl, Roman Petrov, Kyra St. Pierre, Norbert Pirk, Jessica Plein, Vilmantas Preskienis, Anatoly Prokushkin, Jukka Pumpanen, Hilary A. Rains, Niklas Rakos, Aleski Räsänen, Helena Rautakoski, Riika Rinnan, Janne Rinne, Adrian Rocha, Nigel Roulet, Alexandre Roy, Anna Rutgersson, Aleksandr F. Sabrekov, Torsten Sachs, Erik Sahlée, Alejandro Salazar, Henrique Oliveira Sawakuchi, Christopher Schulze, Roger Seco, Armando Sepulveda-Jauregui, Svetlana Serikova, Abbey Serrone, Hanna M. Silvennoinen, Sofie Sjogersten, June Skeeter, Jo Snöälv, Sebastian Sobek, Oliver Sonnentag, Emily H. Stanley, Maria Strack, Lena Strom, Patrick Sullivan, Ryan Sullivan, Anna Sytiuk, Torbern Tagesson, Pierre Taillardat, Julie Talbot, Suzanne E. Tank, Mario Tenuta, Irina Terenteva, Frederic Thalasso, Antoine Thiboult, Halldor Thorgeirsson, Fenix Garcia Tigreros, Margaret Torn, Amy Townsend-Small, Claire Treat, Alain Tremblay, Carlo Trotta, Eeva-Stiina Tuittila, Merritt Turetsky, Masahito Ueyama, Muhammad Umair, Aki Vähä, Lona van Delden, Maarten van Hardenbroek, Andrej Varlagin, Ruth K. Varner, Elena Veretennikova, Timo Vesala, Tarmo Virtanen, Carolina Voigt, Jorien E. Vonk, Robert Wagner, Katey Walter Anthony, Qinxue Wang, Masataka Watanabe, Hailey Webb, Jeffrey M. Welker, Andreas Westergaard-Nielsen, Sebastian Westermann, Jeffrey R. White, Christian Wille, Scott N. Williamson, Scott Zolkos, Donatella Zona, and Susan M. Natali
Earth Syst. Sci. Data Discuss., https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-2025-585, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-2025-585, 2025
Preprint under review for ESSD
Short summary
Short summary
This dataset includes monthly measurements of carbon dioxide and methane exchange between land, water, and the atmosphere from over 1,000 sites in Arctic and boreal regions. It combines measurements from a variety of ecosystems, including wetlands, forests, tundra, lakes, and rivers, gathered by over 260 researchers from 1984–2024. This dataset can be used to improve and reduce uncertainty in carbon budgets in order to strengthen our understanding of climate feedbacks in a warming world.
Maxime Thomas, Thomas Moenaert, Julien Radoux, Baptiste Delhez, Eléonore du Bois d'Aische, Maëlle Villani, Catherine Hirst, Erik Lundin, François Jonard, Sébastien Lambot, Kristof Van Oost, Veerle Vanacker, Matthias B. Siewert, Carl-Magnus Mörth, Michael W. Palace, Ruth K. Varner, Franklin B. Sullivan, Christina Herrick, and Sophie Opfergelt
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2025-3788, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2025-3788, 2025
This preprint is open for discussion and under review for The Cryosphere (TC).
Short summary
Short summary
This study examines the rate of permafrost degradation, in the form of the transition from intact well-drained palsa to fully thawed and inundated fen at the Stordalen mire, Abisko, Sweden. Across the 14 hectares of the palsa mire, we demonstrate a 5-fold acceleration of the degradation in 2019–2021 compared to previous periods (1970–2014) which might lead to a pool of 12 metric tons of organic carbon exposed annually for the topsoil (23 cm depth), and an increase of ~1.3%/year of GHG emissions.
Oriol Ambrogio Gali, Sarah Metcalfe, Elizabeth A. C. Rushton, Betsabe de la Barreda-Bautista, Georgina H. Endfield, Sofia Márdero, Franziska Schrodt, and Alec McLellan
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2025-2708, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2025-2708, 2025
Short summary
Short summary
To address the lack of long-term climate records in Belize, this study reconstructs two centuries of drought history (1771–1981) using historical documents and early instrumental records. Results show that droughts were longer and more severe in the north, while the south was less affected. These findings provide vital context for understanding current and future drought risks in Belize, emphasising the importance of combining documentary and instrumental evidence in climate research.
Sofie Sjögersten, Martha Ledger, Matthias Siewert, Betsabé de la Barreda-Bautista, Andrew Sowter, David Gee, Giles Foody, and Doreen S. Boyd
Biogeosciences, 20, 4221–4239, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-20-4221-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-20-4221-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
Permafrost thaw in Arctic regions is increasing methane emissions, but quantification is difficult given the large and remote areas impacted. We show that UAV data together with satellite data can be used to extrapolate emissions across the wider landscape as well as detect areas at risk of higher emissions. A transition of currently degrading areas to fen type vegetation can increase emission by several orders of magnitude, highlighting the importance of quantifying areas at risk.
Juri Palmtag, Jaroslav Obu, Peter Kuhry, Andreas Richter, Matthias B. Siewert, Niels Weiss, Sebastian Westermann, and Gustaf Hugelius
Earth Syst. Sci. Data, 14, 4095–4110, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-14-4095-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-14-4095-2022, 2022
Short summary
Short summary
The northern permafrost region covers 22 % of the Northern Hemisphere and holds almost twice as much carbon as the atmosphere. This paper presents data from 651 soil pedons encompassing more than 6500 samples from 16 different study areas across the northern permafrost region. We use this dataset together with ESA's global land cover dataset to estimate soil organic carbon and total nitrogen storage up to 300 cm soil depth, with estimated values of 813 Pg for carbon and 55 Pg for nitrogen.
Selena Georgiou, Edward T. A. Mitchard, Bart Crezee, Paul I. Palmer, Greta C. Dargie, Sofie Sjögersten, Corneille E. N. Ewango, Ovide B. Emba, Joseph T. Kanyama, Pierre Bola, Jean-Bosco N. Ndjango, Nicholas T. Girkin, Yannick E. Bocko, Suspense A. Ifo, and Simon L. Lewis
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2022-580, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2022-580, 2022
Preprint archived
Short summary
Short summary
Two major vegetation types, hardwood trees and palms, overlay the Central Congo Basin peatland complex, each dominant in different locations. We investigated the influence of terrain and climatological variables on their distribution, using a regression model, and found elevation and seasonal rainfall and temperature contribute significantly. There are indications of an optimal range of net water input for palm swamp to dominate, above and below which hardwood swamp dominates.
Andrew V. Bradley, Roxane Andersen, Chris Marshall, Andrew Sowter, and David J. Large
Earth Surf. Dynam., 10, 261–277, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-10-261-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-10-261-2022, 2022
Short summary
Short summary
The condition of peatland largely determines its capacity to store carbon, but peatland condition is not accurately known. Combining the knowledge of management, vegetation, and detecting differences in seasonal surface movement from satellite radar data, we map peat condition. In a blanket bog landscape we discovered the presence of wetter and dryer conditions, which could help guide restoration decisions, and we conclude that this approach could be transferred peat management worldwide.
Cited articles
Åkerman, H. J. and Johansson, M.: Thawing permafrost and thicker active layers in sub-arctic Sweden, Permafrost Periglac., 19, 279–292, https://doi.org/10.1002/ppp.626, 2008.
Alshammari, L., Large, D. J., Boyd, D. S., Sowter, A., Anderson, R., Andersen, R., and Marsh, S.: Long-Term Peatland Condition Assessment via Surface Motion Monitoring Using the ISBAS DInSAR Technique over the Flow Country, Scotland, Remote Sens., 10, 1103, https://doi.org/10.3390/rs10071103, 2018.
Alshammari, L., Boyd, D. S., Sowter, A., Marshall, C., Andersen, R., Gilbert, P., Marsh, S., and Large, D. J.: Use of Surface Motion Characteristics Determined by InSAR to Assess Peatland Condition, J. Geophys. Res., 125, e2018JG004953, https://doi.org/10.1029/2018JG004953, 2020.
Backe, S.: Kartering av Sveriges palsmyrar, Länsstyrelsen, oai:DiVA.org:naturvardsverket-2318, 2014.
Ballantyne C. K.: Periglacial geomorphology, John Wiley and Son, ISBN 9781405100069, 2018.
Bartsch, A., Widhalm, B., Kuhry, P., Hugelius, G., Palmtag, J., and Siewert, M. B.: Can C-band synthetic aperture radar be used to estimate soil organic carbon storage in tundra?, Biogeosciences, 13, 5453–5470, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-13-5453-2016, 2016.
Beer, J. M., Wang, Y., Way, R., Forget, A., and Colyn, V.: Uncrewed aerial vehicle-based assessments of peatland permafrost vulnerability along the Labrador Sea coastline, northern Canada, arXiv [preprint], https://doi.org/10.31223/X5610M, 2023.
Biskaborn, B. K., Smith, S. L., Noetzli, J., Matthes, H., Vieira, G., Streletskiy, D. A., Schoeneich, P., Romanovsky, V. E., Lewkowicz, A. G., Abramov, A., Allard, M., Boike, J., Cable, W. L., Christiansen, H. H., Delaloye, R., Diekmann, B., Drozdov, D., Etzelmüller, B., Grosse, G., and Lantuit, H.: Permafrost is warming at a global scale, Nat. Commun., 10, 264, https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-018-08240-4, 2019.
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.
Bradley, A. V., Andersen, R., Marshall, C., Sowter, A., and Large, D. J.: Identification of typical ecohydrological behaviours using InSAR allows landscape-scale mapping of peatland condition, Earth Surf. Dynam., 10, 261–277, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-10-261-2022, 2022.
Chadburn, S. E., Burke, E. J., Cox, P. M., Friedlingstein, P., Hugelius, G., and Westermann, S.: An observation-based constraint on permafrost loss as a function of global warming, Nat. Clim. Change 7, 340–344, https://doi.org/10.1038/nclimate3262, 2017.
Chen, C. W. and Zebker, H. A.: Two-dimensional phase unwrapping with use of statistical models for cost functions in nonlinear optimization, JOSA A, 18, 338–351, 2001.
Christiansen, H. H., Etzelmüller, B., Isaksen, K., Juliussen, H., Farbrot, H., Humlum, O., Johansson, M., Ingeman-Nielsen, T., Kristensen, L., Hjort, J., Holmlund, P., Sannel, A. B. K., Sigsgaard, C., Åkerman, H. J., Foged, N., Blikra, L. H., Pernosky, M. A., and Ødegård, R. S.: The thermal state of permafrost in the nordic area during the international polar year 2007–2009, Permafrost Periglac., 21, 156–181, https://doi.org/10.1002/ppp.687, 2010.
Cigna, F. and Sowter, A.: The relationship between intermittent coherence and precision of ISBAS InSAR ground motion velocities: ERS-1/2 case studies in the UK, Remote Sens. Environ., 202, 177–198, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rse.2017.05.016, 2017.
de la Barreda-Bautista, B., Boyd, D. S., Ledger, M., Siewert, M. B., Chandler, C., Bradley, A. V., Gee, D., Large, D. J., Olofsson, J., Sowter, A., and Sjögersten, S.: Towards a Monitoring Approach for Understanding Permafrost Degradation and Linked Subsidence in Arctic Peatlands, Remote Sens., 14, 44, https://doi.org/10.3390/rs14030444, 2022.
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, 2015.
Douglas, T. A., Hiemstra, C. A., Anderson, J. E., Barbato, R. A., Bjella, K. L., Deeb, E. J., Gelvin, A. B., Nelsen, P. E., Newman, S. D., Saari, S. P., and Wagner, A. M.: Recent degradation of interior Alaska permafrost mapped with ground surveys, geophysics, deep drilling, and repeat airborne lidar, The Cryosphere, 15, 3555–3575, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-15-3555-2021, 2021.
ESA: Definition of the TOPS SLC deramping function for products generated by the S-1 IPF, European Space Agency, COPE-GSEG-EOPG-TN-14-0025, Issue 1, Revision 2, COPE-GSEG-EOPG-TN-14-0025, 22 April 2015.
ESA: Sentinel-1 Interferometric Wide swath mode. Copernicus Open Access Hub, https://browser.dataspace.copernicus.eu/, last accessed: 28 March 2024.
Farbrot, H., Isaksen, K., Etzelmüller, B., and Gisnås, K.: Ground Thermal Regime and Permafrost Distribution under a Changing Climate in Northern Norway, Permafrost Periglac., 24, 20–38, https://doi.org/10.1002/ppp.1763, 2013.
Fewster, R. E., Morris, P. J., Ivanovic, R. F., Swindles, G. T., Peregon, A. M., and Smith, C. J.: Imminent loss of climate space for permafrost peatlands in Europe and Western Siberia, Nat. Clim. Change, 12, 373–379, https://doi.org/10.1038/s41558-022-01296-7, 2022.
Franklin, S. E.: Interpretation and use of geomorphometry in remote sensing: a guide and review of integrated applications, Int. J. Remote Sens., 41, 7700–7733, https://doi.org/10.1080/01431161.2020.1792577, 2020.
Gee, D., Bateson, L., Sowter, A., Grebby, S., Novellino, A., Cigna, F., Marsh, S., Banton, C., and Wyatt, L.: Ground Motion in Areas of Abandoned Mining: Application of the Intermittent SBAS (ISBAS) to the Northumberland and Durham Coalfield, UK, Geosciences, 7, 85, https://doi.org/10.3390/geosciences7030085, 2017.
Gisnås, K., Etzelmüller, B., Lussana, C., Hjort, J., Sannel, A. B. K., Isaksen, K., Westermann, S., Kuhry, P., Christiansen, H. H., Frampton, A., and Åkerman, J.: Permafrost Map for Norway, Sweden and Finland, Permafrost Periglac., 28, 359–378, https://doi.org/10.1002/ppp.1922, 2017.
Glagolev, M., Kleptsova, I., Filippov, I., Maksyutov, S., and Machida, T.: Regional methane emission from West Siberia mire landscapes, Environ. Res. Lett., 6, 045214, https://doi.org/10.1088/1748-9326/6/4/045214, 2011.
Hänsel, S.: Changes in the Characteristics of Dry and Wet Periods in Europe (1851–2015), Atmosphere, 11, 1080, https://doi.org/10.3390/atmos11101080, 2020.
Harris, C. R., Millman, K. J., van der Walt, S. J., Gommers, R., Virtanen, P., Cournapeau, D., Wieser, E., Taylor, J., Berg, S., Smith, N. J., Kern, R., Picus, M., Hoyer, S., van Kerkwijk, M. H., Brett, M., Haldane, A., del Río, J. F., Wiebe, M., Peterson, P., and Oliphant, T. E.: Array programming with NumPy, Nature, 585, 357–362, https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-020-2649-2, 2020.
Harris, L. I., Richardson, K., Bona, K. A., Davidson, S. J., Finkelstein, S. A., Garneau, M., McLaughlin, J., Nwaishi, F., Olefeldt, D., Packalen, M., Roulet, N. T., Southee, F. M., Strack, M., Webster, K. L., Wilkinson, S. L., and Ray, J. C.: The essential carbon service provided by northern peatlands, Front. Ecol. Environ., 20, 222–230, https://doi.org/10.1002/fee.2437, 2022.
Hugelius, G. A., Loisel, J. A., Chadburn, S. A., Jackson, R. A., Jones, M. A., MacDonald, G., Marushchak, M., Olefeldt, D. A., Packalen, M., Siewert, M. A, Treat, C. A.-O., Turetsky, M., Voigt, C. A., and Yu, Z. A.: Large stocks of peatland carbon and nitrogen are vulnerable to permafrost thaw, P. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA, 117, 20438–20446, https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1916387117, 2020.
IPCC: The Physical Science Basis. Contribution of Working Group I to the Sixth Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, Cambridge University Press, https://doi.org/10.1017/9781009157896, 2021.
Irannezhad, M., Ronkanen, A.-K., Kiani, S., Chen, D., and Kløve, B.: Long-term variability and trends in annual snowfall/total precipitation ratio in Finland and the role of atmospheric circulation patterns, Cold Reg. Sci. Technol., 143, 23–31, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.coldregions.2017.08.008, 2017.
Irannezhad, M., Moradkhani, H., and Kløve, B.: Spatiotemporal Variability and Trends in Extreme Temperature Events in Finland over the Recent Decades: Influence of Northern Hemisphere Teleconnection Patterns, Adv. Meteorol., 2018, 7169840, https://doi.org/10.1155/2018/7169840, 2018.
Isaksen, K., Sollid, J. L., Holmlund, P., and Harris, C.: Recent warming of mountain permafrost in Svalbard and Scandinavia, J. Geophys. Res.-Earth, 112, F02S04, https://doi.org/10.1029/2006JF000522, 2007.
Johansson, M., Åkerman, J., Keuper, F., Christensen, T. R., Lantuit, H., and Callaghan, T. V.: Past and Present Permafrost Temperatures in the Abisko Area: Redrilling of Boreholes, AMBIO, 40, 558, https://doi.org/10.1007/s13280-011-0163-3, 2011.
Johansson, M., Callaghan, T. V., Bosiö, J., Åkerman, H. J., Jackowicz-Korczynski, M., and Christensen, T. R.: Rapid responses of permafrost and vegetation to experimentally increased snow cover in sub-arctic Sweden, Environ. Res. Lett., 8, 035025, https://doi.org/10.1088/1748-9326/8/3/035025, 2013.
Karlson, M., bastviken, D., and Reese, H.: Error characteristics of pan-arctic digital elevation models and elevation derivatives in northern sweden, Remote Sens., 13, 4653, https://doi.org/10.3390/rs13224653, 2021.
Köchy, M., Hiederer, R., and Freibauer, A.: Global distribution of soil organic carbon – Part 1: Masses and frequency distributions of SOC stocks for the tropics, permafrost regions, wetlands, and the world, SOIL, 1, 351–365, https://doi.org/10.5194/soil-1-351-2015, 2015.
König, S., Schultz, J. A., Schoch, A., Blöthe, J., Schrott, L., and Thonfeld, F.: Mountain Permafrost Distribution Modeling–A Geomorphometry-Remote Sensing Approach for the Hohe Tauern National Park, Austria, Dreiländertagung der DGPF, der OVG und der SGPF in Wien, Österreich–Publikationen der DGPF, 28, 2019.
Lantmäteriet: Orthophoto (Ortofoto), Version 2.7., https://www.lantmateriet.se/globalassets/geodata/geodataprodukter/flyg--och-satellitbilder/e_pb_ortofoto.pdf (last access: 10 January 2024), 2021.
Leppiniemi, O., Karjalainen, O., Aalto, J., Luoto, M., and Hjort, J.: Environmental spaces for palsas and peat plateaus are disappearing at a circumpolar scale, The Cryosphere, 17, 3157–3176, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-17-3157-2023, 2023.
Liu, L., Zhang, T., and Wahr, J.: InSAR measurements of surface deformation over permafrost on the North Slope of Alaska, J. Geophys. Res.-Earth, 115, F03023, https://doi.org/10.1029/2009JF001547, 2010.
Luoto, M. and Seppälä, M.: Modelling the distribution of palsas in Finnish Lapland with logistic regression and GIS, Permafrost Periglac., 13, 17–28, 2002.
Luoto, M. and Seppälä, M.: Thermokarst ponds as indicators of the former distribution of palsas in Finnish Lapland, Permafrost Periglac., 14, 19–27, https://doi.org/10.1002/ppp.441, 2003.
Mamet, S. D., Chun, K. P., Kershaw, G. G. L., Loranty, M. M., and Kershaw, G. P.: Recent Increases in Permafrost Thaw Rates and Areal Loss of Palsas in the Western Northwest Territories, Canada, Permafrost Periglac., 28, 619–633, https://doi.org/10.1002/ppp.1951, 2017.
Markkula, I., Turunen, M., and Rasmus, S.: A review of climate change impacts on the ecosystem services in the Saami Homeland in Finland, Sci. Total Environ., 692, 1070–1085, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2019.07.272, 2019.
Matthews, J. A., Dahl, S.-O., Berrisford, M. S., and Nesje, A.: Cyclic Development and Thermokarstic Degradation of Palsas in the Mid-Alpine Zone at Leirpullan, Dovrefjell, Southern Norway, Permafrost Periglac., 8, 107–122, https://doi.org/10.1002/(SICI)1099-1530(199701)8:1<107::AID-PPP237>3.0.CO;2-Z, 1997.
McKinney, W.: Pandas: a Foundational Python Library for Data Analysis and Statistics, 2011.
Miglovets, Ì., Zagirova, S., Goncharova, N., and Mikhailov, Î.: Methane Emission from Palsa Mires in Northeastern European Russia, Russ. Meteorol. Hydrol., 46, 52–59, https://doi.org/10.3103/S1068373921010076, 2021.
Morin, P., Porter, C., Cloutier, M., Howat, I., Noh, M. J., Willis, M., Bates, B., Willamson, C., and Peterman, K.: ArcticDEM; a publically available, high resolution elevation model of the Arctic, EGU General Assembly 2016, 17-22 April 2016, Vienna, Austria, EPSC2016-8396, 2016.
Obu, J.: How Much of the Earth's Surface is Underlain by Permafrost?, J. Geophys. Res.-Earth, 126, e2021JF006123, https://doi.org/10.1029/2021JF006123, 2021.
Obu, J., Westermann, S., Kääb, A., and Bartsch, A.: Ground Temperature Map, 2000–2016, Northern Hemisphere Permafrost, PANGAEA, https://doi.org/10.1594/PANGAEA.888600, 2018.
Olvmo, M., Holmer, B., Thorsson, S., Reese, H., and Lindberg, F.: Sub-arctic palsa degradation and the role of climatic drivers in the largest coherent palsa mire complex in Sweden (Vissátvuopmi), 1955–2016, Sci. Rep.-UK, 10, 8937, https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-020-65719-1, 2020.
Otto, J. c., Keuschnig, M., Götz, J., Marbach, M., and Schrott, L.: Detection of mountain permafrost by combining high resolution surface and subsurface information–an example from the Glatzbach catchment, Austrian Alps, Geogr. Ann. A, 94, 43-57, https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1468-0459.2012.00455.x, 2012.
QGIS: QGIS User Guide: 24.2.1 Raster Analysis, https://docs.qgis.org/3.16/en/docs/user_manual/processing_algs/gdal/rasteranalysis.html#hillshade (last access: 1 January 2024), 2022.
Ramage, J., Jungsberg, L., Wang, S. N., Westermann, S., Lantuit, H., and Heleniak, T.: Population living on permafrost in the Arctic, Popul. Environ., 43, 22–38, https://doi.org/10.1007/s11111-020-00370-6, 2021.
Reinosch, E., Buckel, J., Dong, J., Gerke, M., Baade, J., and Riedel, B.: InSAR time series analysis of seasonal surface displacement dynamics on the Tibetan Plateau, The Cryosphere, 14, 1633–1650, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-14-1633-2020, 2020.
Riley, S. J., Degloria, S. D., and Elliot, R.: Index that quantifies topographic heterogeneity, Int. J. Sci., 5, 23–27, 1999.
Sannel, A. B. K.: Ground temperature and snow depth variability within a subarctic peat plateau landscape, Permafrost Periglac., 31, 255–263, https://doi.org/10.1002/ppp.2045, 2020.
Sannel, A. B. K. and Kuhry, P.: Warming-induced destabilization of peat plateau/thermokarst lake complexes, J. Geophys. Res., 116, G03035, https://doi.org/10.1029/2010JG001635, 2011.
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.
Schuur, E. A. G., Vogel, J. G., Crummer, K. G., Lee, H., Sickman, J. O., and Osterkamp, T. E.: The effect of permafrost thaw on old carbon release and net carbon exchange from tundra, Nature, 459, 556–559, https://doi.org/10.1038/nature08031, 2009.
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.
Siewert, M. B.: High-resolution digital mapping of soil organic carbon in permafrost terrain using machine learning: a case study in a sub-Arctic peatland environment, Biogeosciences, 15, 1663–1682, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-15-1663-2018, 2018.
Sjöberg, Y., Siewert, M. B., Rudy, A. C. A., Paquette, M., Bouchard, F., Malenfant-Lepage, J., and Fritz, M.: Hot trends and impact in permafrost science, Permafrost Periglac., 31, 461–471, 2020.
Short, N., LeBlanc, A.-M., Sladen, W., Oldenborger, G., Mathon-Dufour, V., and Brisco, B.: RADARSAT-2 D-InSAR for ground displacement in permafrost terrain, validation from Iqaluit Airport, Baffin Island, Canada, Remote Sen. Environ., 141, 40–51, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rse.2013.10.016, 2014.
SMHI: Download Meteorological observations, Retrieved from https://www.smhi.se/data/meteorologi/ladda-ner-meteorologiska-observationer#param=airtemperatureInstant,stations=core,stationid=191910 (last access: 10 January 2024), 2022.
Smith, M. W. and Riseborough, D. W.: Permafrost monitoring and detection of climate change, Permafrost Periglac., 7, 301–309, https://doi.org/10.1002/(SICI)1099-1530(199610)7:4<301::AID-PPP231>3.0.CO;2-R, 1996.
Smith, S. L, O'Neill, H. B., Isaksen, K., Noetzli, J., and Romanovsky, V. E.: The changing thermal state of permafrost, Nat. Rev. Earth Environ., 3, 10–23, 2022.
Sowter, A., Bateson, L., Strange, P., Ambrose, K., and Syafiudin, M. F.: DInSAR estimation of land motion using intermittent coherence with application to the South Derbyshire and Leicestershire coalfields, Remote Sens. Lett., 4, 979–987, 2013.
Sowter, A., Bin Che Amat, M., Cigna, F., Marsh, S., Athab, A., and Alshammari, L.: Mexico City land subsidence in 2014–2015 with Sentinel-1 IW TOPS: Results using the Intermittent SBAS (ISBAS) technique, Int. J. Appl. Earth. Obs., 52, 230–242, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jag.2016.06.015, 2016.
Swingedouw, D., Ifejika Speranza, C., Bartsch, A., Durand, G., Jamet, C., Beaugrand, G., and Conversi, A.: Early Warning from Space for a Few Key Tipping Points in Physical, Biological, and Social-Ecological Systems, Surv. Geophys., 41, 1237–1284, https://doi.org/10.1007/s10712-020-09604-6, 2020.
Tarnocai, C., Canadell, J. G., Schuur, E. A. G., Kuhry, P., Mazhitova, G., and Zimov, S.: Soil organic carbon pools in the northern circumpolar permafrost region, Global Biogeochem. Cy., 23, GB2023, https://doi.org/10.1029/2008GB003327, 2009.
Torres, R., Snoeij, P., Geudtner, D., Bibby, D., Davidson, M., Attema, E., Potin, P., Rommen, B., Floury, N., Brown, M., Traver, I. N., Deghaye, P., Duesmann, B., Rosich, B., Miranda, N., Bruno, C., L'Abbate, M., Croci, R., Pietropaolo, A., and Rostan, F.: GMES Sentinel-1 mission, Remote Sens. Environ., 120, 9–24, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rse.2011.05.028, 2012.
Turetsky, M. R., Abbott, B. W., Jones, M. C., Anthony, K. W., Olefeldt, D., Schuur, E. A. G., Grosse, G., Kuhry, P., Hugelius, G., Koven, C., Lawrence, D. M., Gibson, C., Sannel, A. B. K., and McGuire, A. D.: Carbon release through abrupt permafrost thaw, Nat. Geosci., 13, 138–143, https://doi.org/10.1038/s41561-019-0526-0, 2020.
Vallée, S. and Payette, S.: Collapse of permafrost mounds along a subarctic river over the last 100 years (northern Québec), Geomorphology, 90, 162–170, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.geomorph.2007.01.019, 2007.
Valman, S.: SamValman/Permafrost_Sweden: InSAR-measured permafrost degradation of palsa peatlands in northern Sweden Github Repo (v1.0.0), Zenodo [code], https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.10891198, 2024a.
Valman, S.: InSAR measured permafrost degradation of palsa peatlands in northern Sweden Datasets, In The Cryosphere, Zenodo [data set], https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.10891489, 2024b.
van Huissteden, J., Teshebaeva, K., Cheung, Y., Magnússon, R. Í., Noorbergen, H., Karsanaev, S. V., Maximov, T. C., and Dolman, A. J.: Geomorphology and InSAR-Tracked Surface Displacements in an Ice-Rich Yedoma Landscape, Front Earth Sci., 9, ISSN 2296-6463, https://doi.org/10.3389/feart.2021.680565, 2021.
Varner, R. K., Crill, P. M., Frolking, S., McCalley, C. K., Burke, S. A., Chanton, J. P., Holmes, M. E., Saleska, S., and Palace, M. W.: Permafrost thaw driven changes in hydrology and vegetation cover increase trace gas emissions and climate forcing in Stordalen Mire from 1970 to 2014, Philos T. Roy. Soc. A, 380, 6223–6244, https://doi.org/10.1098/rsta.2021.0022, 2022.
Vikhamar-Schuler, D., Isaksen, K., Haugen, J. E., Tømmervik, H., Luks, B., Schuler, T. V., and Bjerke, J. W.: Changes in Winter Warming Events in the Nordic Arctic Region, J. Climate, 29, 6223–6244, https://doi.org/10.1175/JCLI-D-15-0763.1, 2016.
Virtanen, P.: Gommers, R., Oliphant, T. E., Haberland, M., Reddy, T., Cournapeau, D., Burovski, E., Peterson, P., Weckesser, W., and Bright, J.: SciPy 1.0: fundamental algorithms for scientific computing in Python, Nat. Methods, 17, 261–272, 2020.
Vorren, K.-D.: The first permafrost cycle in Færdesmyra, eastern Finnmark, Norway, Norsk Geogr. Tidsskr., 71, 114–121, https://doi.org/10.1080/00291951.2017.1316309, 2017.
Zuidhoff, F. S.: Recent decay of a single palsa in relation to weather conditions between 1996 and 2000 in Laivadalen, northern Sweden, Geogr. Ann. A, 84A, 103–111, https://doi.org/10.1111/j.0435-3676.2002.00164.x, 2002.
Zuidhoff, F. S. and Kolstrup, E.: Changes in palsa distribution in relation to climate change in Laivadalen, northern Sweden, especially 1960–1997, Permafrost Periglac., 11, 55–69, 2000.
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.
Climate warming is thawing permafrost that makes up palsa (frost mound) peatlands, risking...
