No abstract

No abstract

Arctic lakes are significant emitters of methane (CH 4 ), a potent greenhouse gas, to the atmosphere; yet no rigorous quantification of the magnitude and variability of pan-Arctic lake emissions exists. In this study, we demonstrate the potential for a new method using synthetic aperture radar (SAR) imagery to detect methane bubbles in lake ice to scale up whole-lake measurements of CH 4 ebullition (bubbling) to regional scales. We estimated ebullition from lakes, which is often the dominant mode of lake emissions, by mapping the distribution of bubble clusters frozen in early winter ice across surfaces of seven tundra lakes and one boreal forest lake in Alaska. Applying previously measured ebullition rates associated with four distinct classes of bubble clusters found in lake ice, we estimated whole-lake emissions from individual lakes. The percent surface area of lake ice covered with bubbles (R 2 = 0.68) and CH 4 ebullition rates from lakes (R 2 = 0.59) and were correlated with radar return values from RADARSAT-1 Standard Beam mode 3 for the tundra lakes, suggesting that with appropriate scaling and consideration for variability in lake-ice conditions, this technique has the potential to be used for estimating broader-scale regional and pan-Arctic lake methane emissions.(KEY TERMS: lakes; methane; climate change; remote sensing synthetic aperture radar; lake ice.)

No abstract

Thermokarst lakes are prevalent in Arctic coastal lowland regions and sublake permafrost degradation and talik development contributes to greenhouse gas emissions by tapping the large permafrost carbon pool. Whereas lateral thermokarst lake expansion is readily apparent through remote sensing and shoreline measurements, sublake thawed sediment conditions and talik growth are difficult to measure. Here we combine transient electromagnetic surveys with thermal modeling, backed up by measured permafrost properties and radiocarbon ages, to reveal closed‐talik geometry associated with a thermokarst lake in continuous permafrost. To improve access to talik geometry data, we conducted surveys along three transient electromagnetic transects perpendicular to lakeshores with different decadal‐scale expansion rates of 0.16, 0.38, and 0.58 m/year. We modeled thermal development of the talik using boundary conditions based on field data from the lake, surrounding permafrost and a borehole, independent of the transient electromagnetics. A talik depth of 91 m was determined from analysis of the transient electromagnetic surveys. Using a lake initiation age of 1400 years before present and available subsurface properties the results from thermal modeling of the lake center arrived at a best estimate talk depth of 80 m, which is on the same order of magnitude as the results from the transient electromagnetic survey. Our approach has provided a noninvasive estimate of talik geometry suitable for comparable settings throughout circum‐Arctic coastal lowland regions.