Influences and interactions of inundation, peat, and snow on active layer thickness
Abstract
Active layer thickness (ALT), the uppermost layer of soil that thaws on an annual basis, is a direct control on the amount of organic carbon potentially available for decomposition and release to the atmosphere as carbon-rich Arctic permafrost soils thaw in a warming climate. Here, we investigate how key site characteristics affect ALT using an integrated surface/subsurface permafrost thermal hydrology model. ALT is most sensitive to organic layer thickness followed by snow depth but is relatively insensitive to the amount of water on the landscape with other conditions held fixed. Furthermore, the weak ALT sensitivity to subsurface saturation suggests that changes in Arctic landscape hydrology may only have a minor effect on future ALT. But, surface inundation amplifies the sensitivities to the other parameters and under large snowpacks can trigger the formation of near-surface taliks.
- Authors:
-
- Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos New Mexico USA
- Oak Ridge National Lab. (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States). Climate Change Science Institute and Environmental Sciences Division
- Publication Date:
- Research Org.:
- Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States); Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States)
- Sponsoring Org.:
- USDOE Office of Science (SC), Biological and Environmental Research (BER)
- OSTI Identifier:
- 1260075
- Alternate Identifier(s):
- OSTI ID: 1304711
- Report Number(s):
- LA-UR-15-28074
Journal ID: ISSN 0094-8276; KP1702010; ERKP757
- Grant/Contract Number:
- AC05-00OR22725; AC52-06NA25396
- Resource Type:
- Accepted Manuscript
- Journal Name:
- Geophysical Research Letters
- Additional Journal Information:
- Journal Volume: 43; Journal Issue: 10; Journal ID: ISSN 0094-8276
- Publisher:
- American Geophysical Union
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
- Subject:
- 54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES; active layer thickness; thermal hydrology; inundation and soil moisture; ALT sensitivity; organic soil thermal properties; snow depth; 58 GEOSCIENCES; Planetary Sciences
Citation Formats
Atchley, Adam L., Coon, Ethan T., Painter, Scott L., Harp, Dylan R., and Wilson, Cathy J. Influences and interactions of inundation, peat, and snow on active layer thickness. United States: N. p., 2016.
Web. doi:10.1002/2016GL068550.
Atchley, Adam L., Coon, Ethan T., Painter, Scott L., Harp, Dylan R., & Wilson, Cathy J. Influences and interactions of inundation, peat, and snow on active layer thickness. United States. https://doi.org/10.1002/2016GL068550
Atchley, Adam L., Coon, Ethan T., Painter, Scott L., Harp, Dylan R., and Wilson, Cathy J. Wed .
"Influences and interactions of inundation, peat, and snow on active layer thickness". United States. https://doi.org/10.1002/2016GL068550. https://www.osti.gov/servlets/purl/1260075.
@article{osti_1260075,
title = {Influences and interactions of inundation, peat, and snow on active layer thickness},
author = {Atchley, Adam L. and Coon, Ethan T. and Painter, Scott L. and Harp, Dylan R. and Wilson, Cathy J.},
abstractNote = {Active layer thickness (ALT), the uppermost layer of soil that thaws on an annual basis, is a direct control on the amount of organic carbon potentially available for decomposition and release to the atmosphere as carbon-rich Arctic permafrost soils thaw in a warming climate. Here, we investigate how key site characteristics affect ALT using an integrated surface/subsurface permafrost thermal hydrology model. ALT is most sensitive to organic layer thickness followed by snow depth but is relatively insensitive to the amount of water on the landscape with other conditions held fixed. Furthermore, the weak ALT sensitivity to subsurface saturation suggests that changes in Arctic landscape hydrology may only have a minor effect on future ALT. But, surface inundation amplifies the sensitivities to the other parameters and under large snowpacks can trigger the formation of near-surface taliks.},
doi = {10.1002/2016GL068550},
journal = {Geophysical Research Letters},
number = 10,
volume = 43,
place = {United States},
year = {Wed May 18 00:00:00 EDT 2016},
month = {Wed May 18 00:00:00 EDT 2016}
}
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