Sea-level rise submerges terrestrial permafrost in the Arctic, turning it into subsea permafrost. Subsea permafrost underlies ~ 1.8 million km of Arctic continental shelf, with thicknesses in places exceeding 700 m. Sea-level variations over glacial-interglacial cycles control subsea permafrost distribution and thickness, yet no permafrost model has accounted for glacial isostatic adjustment (GIA), which deviates local sea level from the global mean due to changes in ice and ocean loading. Here we incorporate GIA into a pan-Arctic model of subsea permafrost over the last 400,000 years. Including GIA significantly reduces present-day subsea permafrost thickness, chiefly because of hydro-isostatic effects as well as deformation related to Northern Hemisphere ice sheets. Additionally, we extend the simulation 1000 years into the future for emissions scenarios outlined in the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change's sixth assessment report. We find that subsea permafrost is preserved under a low emissions scenario but mostly disappears under a high emissions scenario.

Download full-text PDF

Source
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11018745PMC
http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/s41467-024-45906-8DOI Listing

Publication Analysis

Top Keywords

subsea permafrost
28
permafrost
9
glacial isostatic
8
isostatic adjustment
8
emissions scenario
8
subsea
7
adjustment reduces
4
reduces future
4
future arctic
4
arctic subsea
4

Similar Publications

Sea-level rise submerges terrestrial permafrost in the Arctic, turning it into subsea permafrost. Subsea permafrost underlies ~ 1.8 million km of Arctic continental shelf, with thicknesses in places exceeding 700 m.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Subsea permafrost carbon pools below the Arctic shelf seas are a major unknown in the global carbon cycle. We combine a numerical model of sedimentation and permafrost evolution with simplified carbon turnover to estimate accumulation and microbial decomposition of organic matter on the pan-Arctic shelf over the past four glacial cycles. We find that Arctic shelf permafrost is a globally important long-term carbon sink storing 2822 (1518-4982) Pg OC, double the amount stored in lowland permafrost.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF
Article Synopsis
  • Subsea permafrost is a significant carbon storage area that could potentially release greenhouse gases as it thaws, but there is limited observational data leading to uncertainties about its impact.
  • Five cores from the Laptev Sea were analyzed to assess organic carbon storage, degradation, and greenhouse gas production, revealing a history of sediment deposition over 160,000 years from both forest and tundra sources.
  • The study estimates a thaw rate of 1.3 kg of organic carbon per square meter annually in subsea permafrost, which is much higher than terrestrial permafrost, and measured methane and carbon dioxide production during incubation, providing insight into subsea permafrost's role in ocean carbon dynamics.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF

The article presents a dataset on ionic composition of pore water and grain size properties of 105 samples of bottom sediments and subsea permafrost from three sediment cores obtained during polar expeditions in the Buor-Khaya Bay in 2014-2015. Collection sites are located southeast of the Lena Delta near the Bykovsky Peninsula at the Buor-Khaya Bay. In this data article, the concentration of sodium, potassium, calcium, and magnesium cations, chlorides and sulphates in water extracts from sediments, as well as grain size characteristics, are presented.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF
Article Synopsis
  • The Arctic seas are gaining attention for their potential in hydrocarbon extraction and new marine transport routes, necessitating detailed studies of geohazards related to seismicity.
  • This paper focuses on ocean-bottom seismographs (OBS) using advanced broadband molecular-electronic transfer sensors, showcasing their design and functionality through a case study in the Laptev Sea from 2018-2020.
  • By analyzing data from pilot deployments, the study highlights the sensors' capabilities in various seismological applications and emphasizes their future use in assessing seismic hazards and understanding the impacts on Arctic permafrost and methane release.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Want AI Summaries of new PubMed Abstracts delivered to your In-box?

Enter search terms and have AI summaries delivered each week - change queries or unsubscribe any time!