Nature and fate of Hudson Bay permafrost

Gough, William A.; Leung, Agnes Sze Yin

doi:10.1007/s10113-002-0048-x

Cited by 40 publications

(32 citation statements)

References 4 publications

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“…This research generally does not directly focus on the HDCC per se, but nevertheless integrate a human component into analysis of changes in and vulnerability of biophysical systems that are of relevance to communities. Research on polar bears is prominent (Stirling and Parkinson 2006;Regehr et al 2007;Crompton et al 2008;Durner et al 2009), along with permafrost (Gough and Leung 2002;Smith et al 2005), caribou populations (Tews et al 2007;Sharma et al 2009), contaminants (Constant et al 2007;Hare et al 2008;Kuzyk et al 2010), and storms Hanesiak et al 2010). Fewer studies have been led by researchers from the health sciences (n = 13, 11 %) but in recent years scholarship has begun to integrate a climate element into longstanding issues such as mental health, food-and waterborne contaminants, food and water security, community infrastructure vulnerability, and hazard planning (Furgal and Seguin 2006; Martin et al 2007;Donaldson et al 2010;Nancarrow and Chan 2010).…”

Section: Research Conducted By the Social And Biophysical Sciences Ismentioning

confidence: 99%

Mapping Human Dimensions of Climate Change Research in the Canadian Arctic

Ford

Bolton

Shirley

et al. 2012

AMBIO

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Section: Research Conducted By the Social And Biophysical Sciences Ismentioning

confidence: 99%

Mapping Human Dimensions of Climate Change Research in the Canadian Arctic

Ford

Bolton

Shirley

et al. 2012

AMBIO

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“…The southwestern region of Hudson Bay is one of the last regions to experience breakup in the summer because of advection of ice by winds and ocean currents (Etkin, 1991). Because sea ice is still present well into summer, Hudson Bay experiences anomalously cold temperatures in comparison with other regions situated at similar latitudes (Maxwell, 1986;Rouse, 1991;Gough and Leung, 2002). At Churchill (Manitoba), for example, the average temperature in July, the warmest month of the year, is 12˚C, and only four months have monthly mean temperatures above the freezing point.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Trends in the Dates of Ice Freeze-up and Breakup over Hudson Bay, Canada

Gagnon¹,

Gough²

2010

ARCTIC

116

185

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ABSTRACT. Hudson Bay experiences a complete cryogenic cycle each year. Sea ice begins to form in late October, and the Bay is usually ice-free in early August. This seasonally varying ice cover plays an important role in the regional climate. To identify secular trends in the cryogenic cycle, we examined variability in the timing of sea-ice formation and retreat during the period 1971-2003. The dates of ice freeze-up and breakup at 36 locations across Hudson Bay were catalogued for each year from weekly ice charts provided by the Canadian Ice Service. We used the nonparametric Mann-Kendall test to determine the statistical significance of the trends and the Theil-Sen approach to estimate their magnitude. Our results indicate statistically significant trends toward earlier breakup in James Bay, along the southern shore of Hudson Bay, and in the western half of Hudson Bay, and toward later freeze-up in the northern and northeastern regions of Hudson Bay. These trends in the annual ice cycle of Hudson Bay coincide with both the regional temperature record and the projections from general circulation models. If this trend toward a longer ice-free season continues, Hudson Bay will soon face important environmental challenges. Le test non paramétrique Mann Kendall a été utilisé pour déterminer la signification statistique des tendances alors que la méthode de Theil Sen nous a fourni un estimé de l'ampleur de ces mêmes tendances. Notre analyse statistique nous indique qu'il existe des tendances significatives vers une date de déglacement plus avancée dans la Baie James, le long de la côte sud de la Baie d'Hudson, et dans la partie ouest de la Baie d'Hudson. De plus, des tendances significatives vers un gel plus tardif ont été observées dans les régions du nord et du nord-est de la Baie d'Hudson. Ces tendances dans le cycle annuel de glace de la Baie d'Hudson coïncident avec les tendances des températures de la région de même qu'avec les projections des modèles de circulation générale. Si cette tendance vers une durée plus courte du couvert de glace continue, la région de la Baie d'Hudson relèvera des défis environnementaux importants dans un proche avenir.

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“…Freeze-up typically occurs in late October and November, the ice cover reaches its peak ice thickness in April and May, and break-up is usually complete by the first week of August (Markham, 1986;Saucier and Dionne, 1998). The complete ice cover nullifies the moderating effects of the Hudson Bay waters in the winter; while the presence of sea ice until late July in the southern and western approaches of Hudson Bay is suggested as contributing to the presence of permafrost in that region, the furthest south permafrost extends in North America (Gough and Leung, 2002). The presence of this permafrost layer also plays a role on the regional climate, as it maintains the ground temperature below 0 • C and impedes water penetration from rain and snow melting so that the energy that would otherwise be used to warm the surface is consumed for evaporating the surface water that accumulates on the frozen layer (Maxwell, 1986).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Climate Change Scenarios for the Hudson Bay Region: An Intermodel Comparison

2005

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General circulation models (GCMs) are unanimous in projecting warmer temperatures in an enhanced CO 2 atmosphere, with amplification of this warming in higher latitudes. The Hudson Bay region, which is located in the Arctic and subarctic regions of Canada, should therefore be strongly influenced by global warming. In this study, we compare the response of Hudson Bay to a transient warming scenario provided by six-coupled atmosphere-ocean models. Our analysis focuses on surface temperature, precipitation, sea-ice coverage, and permafrost distribution. The results show that warming is expected to peak in winter over the ocean, because of a northward retreat of the sea-ice cover. Also, a secondary warming peak is observed in summer over land in the Canadian and Australian-coupled GCMs, which is associated with both a reduction in soil moisture conditions and changes in permafrost distribution. In addition, a relationship is identified between the retreat of the sea-ice cover and an enhancement of precipitation over both land and oceanic surfaces. The response of the sea-ice cover and permafrost layer to global warming varies considerably among models and thus large differences are observed in the projected regional increase in temperature and precipitation. In view of the important feedbacks that a retreat of the sea-ice cover and the distribution of permafrost are likely to play in the doubled and tripled CO 2 climates of Hudson Bay, a good representation of these two parameters is necessary to provide realistic climate change scenarios. The use of higher resolution regional climate model is recommended to develop scenarios of climate change for the Hudson Bay region.

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Nature and fate of Hudson Bay permafrost

Cited by 40 publications

References 4 publications

Mapping Human Dimensions of Climate Change Research in the Canadian Arctic

Mapping Human Dimensions of Climate Change Research in the Canadian Arctic

Trends in the Dates of Ice Freeze-up and Breakup over Hudson Bay, Canada

Climate Change Scenarios for the Hudson Bay Region: An Intermodel Comparison

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