Work

Convection in the active layer speeds up permafrost thaw in coarse-grained soils

Year: 2024

Type: article

Abstract: Permafrost thaw plays a crucial role in climate change dynamics, yet the intricate small-scale processes driving thawing remain inadequately understood. Here we reveal that the density anomaly of water has the potential to trigger convection in coarse-grained soils above permafrost. By using high-resolution numerical simulations of the primitive equations in porous media we show that convection significantly accelerates the thawing process. Climate models that predominantly account for thawing induced by diffusive processes alone overlook this aspect, which can self-reinforce and lead to enhanced climate-permafrost feedback.

Source: Physical Review Fluids

DOI: 10.1103/physrevfluids.9.l081501

Authors: M. Magnani, S. Musacchio, A. Provenzale, G. Boffetta

Institutions: Institute of Geosciences and Earth Resources, Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare, Sezione di Torino, National Research Council, University of Palermo, University of Turin

Language: English

Topic: Climate change and permafrost

Subfield: Atmospheric Science

Field: Earth and Planetary Sciences

Domain: Physical Sciences

SDG: Climate action

Open Access status: green

Funders: European Commission, Instituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare, NextGenerationEU