Pacific Northwest Research Station

Title: Alaskan permafrost groundwater storage changes derived from GRACE and ground measurements

Author: Muskett, Reginald R.; Romanovsky, Vladimir E.

Date: 2011

Source: Remote Sensing. 3(2): 378-397

Description: The Arctic is in transition from climate-driven thawing of permafrost. We investigate satellite-derived water equivalent mass changes, snow water equivalent with in situ measurements of runoff and ground-survey derived geoid models from 1999 through 2009. The Alaskan Arctic coastal plain groundwater storage (including wetland bog, thaw pond and lake) is increasing by 1. 15 ± 0.65 km³/a (area-average 1.10 ± 0.62 cm/a), and Yukon River watershed groundwater storage is decreasing by 7.44 ± 3.76 km³/a (area-average 0.79 ± 0.40 cm/a). Geoid changes show increases within the Arctic coastal region and decreases within the Yukon River watershed. We hypothesize these changes are linked to the development of new predominately closed- and possibly open-talik in the continuous permafrost zone under large thaw lakes with increases of lakes and new predominately open-talik and reduction of permafrost extent in the discontinuous and sporadic zones with decreases of thaw lakes.

Keywords: Talik, permafrost, climate change, groundwater changes, Alaska, GRACE

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Citation

Muskett, Reginald R.; Romanovsky, Vladimir E.  2011.  Alaskan permafrost groundwater storage changes derived from GRACE and ground measurements.   Remote Sensing. 3(2): 378-397.