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. We investigate...
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| Main Authors: | , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Wiley
2016-05-01
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| Series: | Geophysical Research Letters |
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| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1002/2016GL068550 |
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| author | Adam L. Atchley Ethan T. Coon Scott L. Painter Dylan R. Harp Cathy J. Wilson |
| author_facet | Adam L. Atchley Ethan T. Coon Scott L. Painter Dylan R. Harp Cathy J. Wilson |
| author_sort | Adam L. Atchley |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | 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. 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. The weak ALT sensitivity to subsurface saturation suggests that changes in Arctic landscape hydrology may only have a minor effect on future ALT. However, surface inundation amplifies the sensitivities to the other parameters and under large snowpacks can trigger the formation of near‐surface taliks. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-df090e8a1ccb4c98b05d73b595dd5f2c |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 0094-8276 1944-8007 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2016-05-01 |
| publisher | Wiley |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Geophysical Research Letters |
| spelling | doaj-art-df090e8a1ccb4c98b05d73b595dd5f2c2025-08-20T03:49:37ZengWileyGeophysical Research Letters0094-82761944-80072016-05-0143105116512310.1002/2016GL068550Influences and interactions of inundation, peat, and snow on active layer thicknessAdam L. Atchley0Ethan T. Coon1Scott L. Painter2Dylan R. Harp3Cathy J. Wilson4Los Alamos National Laboratory Los Alamos New Mexico USALos Alamos National Laboratory Los Alamos New Mexico USAClimate Change Science Institute and Environmental Sciences Division Oak Ridge National Laboratory Oak Ridge Tennessee USALos Alamos National Laboratory Los Alamos New Mexico USALos Alamos National Laboratory Los Alamos New Mexico USAAbstract 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. 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. The weak ALT sensitivity to subsurface saturation suggests that changes in Arctic landscape hydrology may only have a minor effect on future ALT. However, surface inundation amplifies the sensitivities to the other parameters and under large snowpacks can trigger the formation of near‐surface taliks.https://doi.org/10.1002/2016GL068550active layer thicknessthermal hydrologyinundation and soil moistureALT sensitivityorganic soil thermal propertiessnow depth |
| spellingShingle | Adam L. Atchley Ethan T. Coon Scott L. Painter Dylan R. Harp Cathy J. Wilson Influences and interactions of inundation, peat, and snow on active layer thickness Geophysical Research Letters active layer thickness thermal hydrology inundation and soil moisture ALT sensitivity organic soil thermal properties snow depth |
| title | Influences and interactions of inundation, peat, and snow on active layer thickness |
| title_full | Influences and interactions of inundation, peat, and snow on active layer thickness |
| title_fullStr | Influences and interactions of inundation, peat, and snow on active layer thickness |
| title_full_unstemmed | Influences and interactions of inundation, peat, and snow on active layer thickness |
| title_short | Influences and interactions of inundation, peat, and snow on active layer thickness |
| title_sort | influences and interactions of inundation peat and snow on active layer thickness |
| topic | active layer thickness thermal hydrology inundation and soil moisture ALT sensitivity organic soil thermal properties snow depth |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1002/2016GL068550 |
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