Timing of retrogressive thaw slump initiation in the Noatak Basin, northwest Alaska, USA

Balser, A.; Jones, Jeremy B.; Gens, R.

doi:10.1002/2013jf002889

Cited by 93 publications

(102 citation statements)

References 44 publications

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“…[] for coastal RTSs (Herschel Island; mean slope angles of 6.2° and 5.8° for stable and active RTSs, respectively) and Balser et al . [] for inland RTSs (Noatak Basin; mean slope angles of 9.4°). The slope angle has an effect on the activity of RTSs because it influences the evacuation of thawed material, which is a precondition to expose massive ice and to perpetuate headwall retreat [ Lantuit et al ., ; Lacelle et al ., ].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Terrain controls on the occurrence of coastal retrogressive thaw slumps along the Yukon Coast, Canada

et al. 2017

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Retrogressive thaw slumps (RTSs) are among the most active landforms in the Arctic; their number has increased significantly over the past decades. While processes initiating discrete RTSs are well identified, the major terrain controls on the development of coastal RTSs at a regional scale are not yet defined. Our research reveals the main geomorphic factors that determine the development of RTSs along a 238 km segment of the Yukon Coast, Canada. We (1) show the current extent of RTSs, (2) ascertain the factors controlling their activity and initiation, and (3) explain the spatial differences in the density and areal coverage of RTSs. We mapped and classified 287 RTSs using high‐resolution satellite images acquired in 2011. We highlighted the main terrain controls over their development using univariate regression trees model. Coastal geomorphology influenced both the activity and initiation of RTSs: active RTSs and RTSs initiated after 1972 occurred primarily on terrains with slope angles greater than 3.9° and 5.9°, respectively. The density and areal coverage of RTSs were constrained by the volume and thickness of massive ice bodies. Differences in rates of coastal change along the coast did not affect the model. We infer that rates of coastal change averaged over a 39 year period are unable to reflect the complex relationship between RTSs and coastline dynamics. We emphasize the need for large‐scale studies of RTSs to evaluate their impact on the ecosystem and to measure their contribution to the global carbon budget.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Terrain controls on the occurrence of coastal retrogressive thaw slumps along the Yukon Coast, Canada

et al. 2017

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“…In flat to gently rolling terrain, thermokarst can be closely coupled to changes in local hydrological conditions, with impoundment of water leading to the formation of thermokarst pits, lakes and wetlands (Jorgenson, 2013). On steeper terrain, water also plays a key role in initiating or enhancing thaw degradation in landforms such as thermoerosional gullies and thaw slumps (Balser et al, 2014;Kokelj et al, 2015). In this paper we focus on thaw slumps, which develop when icy sediments are exposed in a steep icerich headwall (Fig.…”

Section: S Zwieback Et Al: Thaw Slump Mass Wasting Not Energy Limitedmentioning

confidence: 99%

Sub-seasonal thaw slump mass wasting is not consistently energy limited at the landscape scale

et al. 2018

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Abstract. Predicting future thaw slump activity requires a sound understanding of the atmospheric drivers and geomorphic controls on mass wasting across a range of timescales. On sub-seasonal timescales, sparse measurements indicate that mass wasting at active slumps is often limited by the energy available for melting ground ice, but other factors such as rainfall or the formation of an insulating veneer may also be relevant. To study the sub-seasonal drivers, we derive topographic changes from single-pass radar interferometric data acquired by the TanDEM-X satellites. The estimated elevation changes at 12 m resolution complement the commonly observed planimetric retreat rates by providing information on volume losses. Their high vertical precision (around 30 cm), frequent observations (11 days) and large coverage (5000 km 2 ) allow us to track mass wasting as drivers such as the available energy change during the summer of 2015 in two study regions. We find that thaw slumps in the Tuktoyaktuk coastlands, Canada, are not energy limited in June, as they undergo limited mass wasting (height loss of around 0 cm day −1 ) despite the ample available energy, suggesting the widespread presence of early season insulating snow or debris veneer. Later in summer, height losses generally increase (around 3 cm day −1 ), but they do so in distinct ways. For many slumps, mass wasting tracks the available energy, a temporal pattern that is also observed at coastal yedoma cliffs on the Bykovsky Peninsula, Russia. However, the other two common temporal trajectories are asynchronous with the available energy, as they track strong precipitation events or show a sudden speed-up in late August respectively. The observed temporal patterns are poorly related to slump characteristics like the headwall height. The contrasting temporal behaviour of nearby thaw slumps highlights the importance of complex local and temporally varying controls on mass wasting.

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“…1990 and 2009 coincide with an increase in the abundance of shrubs and terrestrial productivity in tundra landscapes across Arctic Alaska (Swanson, 2010). Accelerated permafrost degradation and thaw slumping observed in the Noatak Basin have been attributed to general climate warming and shifting trends in the seasonality of weather (Balser et al, 2014). Further, an~30% decrease in pond and thaw lake surface area on the Alaskan North Slope between A.D.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

A multi-proxy reconstruction of environmental change spanning the last 37,000 years from Burial Lake, Arctic Alaska

Finkenbinder

Abbott

Finney

et al. 2015

Quaternary Science Reviews

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a b s t r a c tSediment cores from Burial Lake located in the western Brooks Range in Arctic Alaska record paleoenvironmental changes that span the last 37,000 calendar years before present (cal yr BP). We identified four distinct lithologic subunits based on physical properties (dry bulk density, magnetic susceptibility), sediment composition, and geochemical proxies (organic matter, biogenic silica, C/N, organic matter d 13 C and d 15 N, and elemental data from scanning X-ray fluorescence). The multi-proxy approach and relatively high temporal resolution (at multi-decadal to centennial time scales) of our proxy analysis, compared with previous studies of intermediate water depth cores from Burial Lake, provide new insights into the paleoenvironmental history of the region spanning the period prior to the Last Glacial Maximum. Relatively high lake-levels and gradually decreasing in-lake and terrestrial productivity occur during the mid-Wisconsin interstadial from 37,200 to 29,600 cal yr BP. The subsequent period is defined by falling and lower lake-levels with decreasing effective-moisture, windier conditions, and sustained low aquatic productivity throughout the LGM between 29,600 and 19,600 cal yr BP. The last deglaciation that commenced by 19,600 cal yr BP is characterized by gradual changes in several sediment physical and geochemical proxies, including increasing C/N ratios and terrestrial productivity, decreasing magnetic susceptibility and clastic sediment flux, along with rising and relatively higher lake-levels. A decrease in aeolian activity after 16,500 cal yr BP is inferred from the appearance of fine (very fine sandy silt) sediment, compared to coarse sediments through the LGM and last deglaciation. The highest levels of terrestrial inputs along with increasing and variable aquatic productivity occur during the Lateglacial to early Holocene interval between 16,500 and 8800 cal yr BP. The absence of multi-proxy evidence for a strong climatic reversal during the Younger Dryas from Burial Lake sediments contrasts with some paleorecords showing cooler temperatures and/or dry conditions in northern Alaska at this time. Peak levels of sediment organic content and terrestrial productivity at Burial Lake between 10,500 and 9900 cal yr BP coincide with the early Holocene summer insolation maxima, which likely represents summertime warming and an enhanced flux of watershed derived organic matter from permafrost degradation. The remainder of the Holocene (since 8800 cal yr BP) at Burial Lake is characterized by relatively high and stable lake levels, landscape stabilization, and relatively high and variable levels of aquatic productivity.

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Timing of retrogressive thaw slump initiation in the Noatak Basin, northwest Alaska, USA

Cited by 93 publications

References 44 publications

Terrain controls on the occurrence of coastal retrogressive thaw slumps along the Yukon Coast, Canada

Terrain controls on the occurrence of coastal retrogressive thaw slumps along the Yukon Coast, Canada

Sub-seasonal thaw slump mass wasting is not consistently energy limited at the landscape scale

A multi-proxy reconstruction of environmental change spanning the last 37,000 years from Burial Lake, Arctic Alaska

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