Linear disturbances on discontinuous permafrost: implications for thaw-induced changes to land cover and drainage patterns

Williams, Tyler J.; Quinton, William L.; Baltzer, Jennifer L.

doi:10.1088/1748-9326/8/2/025006

Cited by 51 publications

(46 citation statements)

References 22 publications

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“…While harvest only occurred in 0.57% of the study domain, it was associated with a significant portion (7,117 km 2 , or 14.1%) of Deciduous Forest Gain, suggesting relatively outsize role of harvest in forest type transitions. We attribute the remaining 76,818 km 2 (29.6%) of Evergreen Forest Loss to a combination of insect infestations (Volney & Fleming, ), permafrost thaw‐induced forest mortality (Carpino et al, ; Helbig et al, ), and resource exploration (Williams et al, ). We note that approximately 17% of Evergreen Forest Loss resulted in Fen and Bog expansion (Figure S3), which is observed in the Taiga Plain along the southern extent of permafrost extent and may occur due to permafrost degradation (Carpino et al, ; Helbig et al, ).…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Extensive land cover change across Arctic–Boreal Northwestern North America from disturbance and climate forcing

Wang

Sulla‐Menashe

Woodcock

et al. 2019

Global Change Biology

144

131

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A multitude of disturbance agents, such as wildfires, land use, and climate‐driven expansion of woody shrubs, is transforming the distribution of plant functional types across Arctic–Boreal ecosystems, which has significant implications for interactions and feedbacks between terrestrial ecosystems and climate in the northern high‐latitude. However, because the spatial resolution of existing land cover datasets is too coarse, large‐scale land cover changes in the Arctic–Boreal region (ABR) have been poorly characterized. Here, we use 31 years (1984–2014) of moderate spatial resolution (30 m) satellite imagery over a region spanning 4.7 × 106 km2 in Alaska and northwestern Canada to characterize regional‐scale ABR land cover changes. We find that 13.6 ± 1.3% of the domain has changed, primarily via two major modes of transformation: (a) simultaneous disturbance‐driven decreases in Evergreen Forest area (−14.7 ± 3.0% relative to 1984) and increases in Deciduous Forest area (+14.8 ± 5.2%) in the Boreal biome; and (b) climate‐driven expansion of Herbaceous and Shrub vegetation (+7.4 ± 2.0%) in the Arctic biome. By using time series of 30 m imagery, we characterize dynamics in forest and shrub cover occurring at relatively short spatial scales (hundreds of meters) due to fires, harvest, and climate‐induced growth that are not observable in coarse spatial resolution (e.g., 500 m or greater pixel size) imagery. Wildfires caused most of Evergreen Forest Loss and Evergreen Forest Gain and substantial areas of Deciduous Forest Gain. Extensive shifts in the distribution of plant functional types at multiple spatial scales are consistent with observations of increased atmospheric CO2 seasonality and ecosystem productivity at northern high‐latitudes and signal continental‐scale shifts in the structure and function of northern high‐latitude ecosystems in response to climate change.

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Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Extensive land cover change across Arctic–Boreal Northwestern North America from disturbance and climate forcing

Wang

Sulla‐Menashe

Woodcock

et al. 2019

Global Change Biology

144

131

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

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“…These same disturbances decreased mean DTW by 15.5 cm. By comparison, a study investigating permafrost‐related impacts in Canada's Northwest Territories showed that seismic lines on permafrost peatlands produced ground subsistence between 3 and 53 cm (Williams et al, ). While these dramatic results are caused at least in part due to altered permafrost regimes along seismic lines, they reflect the trends observed in our analysis: LIS lines stand out from the surrounding peatland as lower, wetter, and flatter areas.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Seismic lines can be extremely disruptive to low‐lying peatland ecosystems, often triggering persistent changes in environmental factors such as hydrology (van Rensen et al, ), which may have implications on GHG release rates. Seismic lines are not limited to Alberta, occurring within various other provinces and territories of Canada as well as in other regions such as Siberia (Scott, ; Williams et al, ). Low‐impact seismic (LIS) lines are widespread in Alberta and are deemed “low impact” on account of reduced clearing widths (~2–3 m) compared to legacy seismic lines (~8–10 m; Schneider & Dyer, ; British Columbia Oil and Gas Commission, ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

UAV Remote Sensing Can Reveal the Effects of Low‐Impact Seismic Lines on Surface Morphology, Hydrology, and Methane (CH₄) Release in a Boreal Treed Bog

et al. 2018

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Peatlands are globally significant stores of soil carbon, where local methane (CH4) emissions are strongly linked to water table position and microtopography. Historically, these factors have been difficult to measure in the field, constraining our capacity to observe local patterns of variability. In this paper, we show how remote sensing surveys conducted from unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) platforms can be used to map microtopography and depth to water over large areas with good accuracy, paving the way for spatially explicit estimates of CH4 emissions. This approach enabled us to observe—for the first time—the effects of low‐impact seismic lines (LIS; petroleum exploration corridors) on surface morphology and CH4 emissions in a treed‐bog ecosystem in northern Alberta, Canada. Through compaction, LIS lines were found to flatten the observed range in microtopographic elevation by 46 cm and decrease mean depth to water by 15.4 cm, compared to surrounding undisturbed conditions. These alterations are projected to increase CH4 emissions by 20–120% relative to undisturbed areas in our study area, which translates to a total rise of 0.011–0.027 kg CH4 day−1 per linear kilometer of LIS (~2 m wide). The ~16 km of LIS present at our 61 ha study site were predicted to boost CH4 emissions by 20–70 kg between May and September 2016.

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“…Changes on the landscape due to permafrost thaw results in land subsidence, conversion of forest to muskeg, and changes in water resources, and have significantly affected the lands around the region (Baltzer, Veness, Chasmer, Sniderhan & Quinton, 2014;Coleman et al, 2015;Quinton, Hayashi & Chasmer, 2011;Williams, Quinton & Baltzer, 2013). This landscape change, and more importantly changes in water and ice conditions makes travel more difficult and less safe.…”

Section: Impacts Of Climate Change On the Food Systemmentioning

confidence: 99%

Climate change, community capitals, and food security: Building a more sustainable food system in a northern Canadian boreal community

Spring

Carter²,

Blay-Palmer

2018

CanFoodStudies

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Canada’s North offers unique food systems perspectives. Built on close cultural and spiritual ties to the land, the food systems within many northern communities still rely on the harvesting and gathering of traditional food and function through the sharing of food throughout the community. However, social, economic and environmental pressures have meant that some communities rely more on food purchased from the stores, which can be unhealthy and expensive, leading to high rates of food insecurity and chronic health problems in many communities in the North. Northern communities are now dealing with the impacts of climate change that are increasing pressure on the food system by limiting both access to the land and the availability of traditional food sources. This research presents a case study from the Northern Canadian boreal community of Kakisa, Northwest Territories. Using a Participatory Action Research (PAR) methodology, community members play an active role in identifying threats to the community food system, as well as developing community-based solutions to foster adaptation and transformation of their food systems to become more resilient to the impacts of climate change. By using the Community Capitals Framework to identify multiple stressors on the food system this research illustrates how a community can allocate available capitals to adapt to the impacts of climate change as well as identify which capitals are required to build a more sustainable food system.

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Linear disturbances on discontinuous permafrost: implications for thaw-induced changes to land cover and drainage patterns

Cited by 51 publications

References 22 publications

Extensive land cover change across Arctic–Boreal Northwestern North America from disturbance and climate forcing

Extensive land cover change across Arctic–Boreal Northwestern North America from disturbance and climate forcing

UAV Remote Sensing Can Reveal the Effects of Low‐Impact Seismic Lines on Surface Morphology, Hydrology, and Methane (CH₄) Release in a Boreal Treed Bog

Climate change, community capitals, and food security: Building a more sustainable food system in a northern Canadian boreal community

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Linear disturbances on discontinuous permafrost: implications for thaw-induced changes to land cover and drainage patterns

Cited by 51 publications

References 22 publications

Extensive land cover change across Arctic–Boreal Northwestern North America from disturbance and climate forcing

Extensive land cover change across Arctic–Boreal Northwestern North America from disturbance and climate forcing

UAV Remote Sensing Can Reveal the Effects of Low‐Impact Seismic Lines on Surface Morphology, Hydrology, and Methane (CH4) Release in a Boreal Treed Bog

Climate change, community capitals, and food security: Building a more sustainable food system in a northern Canadian boreal community

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About

UAV Remote Sensing Can Reveal the Effects of Low‐Impact Seismic Lines on Surface Morphology, Hydrology, and Methane (CH₄) Release in a Boreal Treed Bog