Work

Brief communication: Decadal changes in topography, surface water and subsurface structure across an Arctic coastal tundra site

Year: 2025

Type: article

Abstract: . Understanding changes in water and carbon cycling in permafrost landscapes requires assessing the co-evolution of microtopography, surface water distribution, and subsurface structure. This study evaluates such changes at a coastal Arctic polygonal tundra site by comparing data from two surveys conducted a decade apart. Each survey includes electrical resistivity tomography, active layer thickness, photogrammetry, and topographic data. Results reveal subsidence and permafrost thaw with varying intensity and spatial distribution across polygon types, alongside diverse thermal-hydrological responses, such as thaw pond formation in high-centered-polygons and more even subsidence in flat-centered-polygons. The study also underscores the value and limitations of sporadic surveys.

Source: The cryosphere

DOI: 10.5194/tc-19-5499-2025

Authors: Jonathan Bachman, John Lamb, Craig Ulrich, Neslihan Taş, Baptiste Dafflon

Institution: Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory

Language: English

Topic: Climate change and permafrost

Subfield: Atmospheric Science

Field: Earth and Planetary Sciences

Domain: Physical Sciences

SDG: Climate action

Open Access status: gold

Estimated APC paid: $1,574