Tundra permafrost thaw causes significant shifts in energy partitioning
Permafrost, a key component of the arctic and global climate system, is highly sensitive to climate change. Observed and ongoing permafrost degradation influences arctic hydrology, ecology and biogeochemistry, and models predict that rapid warming is expected to significantly reduce near-surface per...
| Main Authors: | , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Stockholm University Press
2016-04-01
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| Series: | Tellus: Series B, Chemical and Physical Meteorology |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://www.tellusb.net/index.php/tellusb/article/view/30467/45862 |
| _version_ | 1818160885996191744 |
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| author | Christian Stiegler Margareta Johansson Torben R. Christensen Mikhail Mastepanov Anders Lindroth |
| author_facet | Christian Stiegler Margareta Johansson Torben R. Christensen Mikhail Mastepanov Anders Lindroth |
| author_sort | Christian Stiegler |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Permafrost, a key component of the arctic and global climate system, is highly sensitive to climate change. Observed and ongoing permafrost degradation influences arctic hydrology, ecology and biogeochemistry, and models predict that rapid warming is expected to significantly reduce near-surface permafrost and seasonally frozen ground during the 21st century. These changes raise concern of how permafrost thaw affects the exchange of water and energy with the atmosphere. However, associated impacts of permafrost thaw on the surface energy balance and possible feedbacks on the climate system are largely unknown. In this study, we show that in northern subarctic Sweden, permafrost thaw and related degradation of peat plateaus significantly change the surface energy balance of three peatland complexes by enhancing latent heat flux and, to less degree, also ground heat flux at the cost of sensible heat flux. This effect is valid at all radiation levels but more pronounced at higher radiation levels. The observed differences in flux partitioning mainly result from the strong coupling between soil moisture availability, vegetation composition, albedo and surface structure. Our results suggest that ongoing and predicted permafrost degradation in northern subarctic Sweden ultimately result in changes in land–atmosphere coupling due to changes in the partitioning between latent and sensible heat fluxes. This in turn has crucial implications for how predictive climate models for the Arctic are further developed. |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-11T16:09:00Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-8ba1e0f9d54f47e1bca985434216ce01 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1600-0889 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-11T16:09:00Z |
| publishDate | 2016-04-01 |
| publisher | Stockholm University Press |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Tellus: Series B, Chemical and Physical Meteorology |
| spelling | doaj.art-8ba1e0f9d54f47e1bca985434216ce012022-12-22T00:59:07ZengStockholm University PressTellus: Series B, Chemical and Physical Meteorology1600-08892016-04-0168011110.3402/tellusb.v68.3046730467Tundra permafrost thaw causes significant shifts in energy partitioningChristian Stiegler0Margareta Johansson1Torben R. Christensen2Mikhail Mastepanov3Anders Lindroth4 Department of Physical Geography and Ecosystem Science, Lund University, Lund, Sweden Department of Physical Geography and Ecosystem Science, Lund University, Lund, Sweden Department of Physical Geography and Ecosystem Science, Lund University, Lund, Sweden Department of Physical Geography and Ecosystem Science, Lund University, Lund, Sweden Department of Physical Geography and Ecosystem Science, Lund University, Lund, SwedenPermafrost, a key component of the arctic and global climate system, is highly sensitive to climate change. Observed and ongoing permafrost degradation influences arctic hydrology, ecology and biogeochemistry, and models predict that rapid warming is expected to significantly reduce near-surface permafrost and seasonally frozen ground during the 21st century. These changes raise concern of how permafrost thaw affects the exchange of water and energy with the atmosphere. However, associated impacts of permafrost thaw on the surface energy balance and possible feedbacks on the climate system are largely unknown. In this study, we show that in northern subarctic Sweden, permafrost thaw and related degradation of peat plateaus significantly change the surface energy balance of three peatland complexes by enhancing latent heat flux and, to less degree, also ground heat flux at the cost of sensible heat flux. This effect is valid at all radiation levels but more pronounced at higher radiation levels. The observed differences in flux partitioning mainly result from the strong coupling between soil moisture availability, vegetation composition, albedo and surface structure. Our results suggest that ongoing and predicted permafrost degradation in northern subarctic Sweden ultimately result in changes in land–atmosphere coupling due to changes in the partitioning between latent and sensible heat fluxes. This in turn has crucial implications for how predictive climate models for the Arctic are further developed.http://www.tellusb.net/index.php/tellusb/article/view/30467/45862permafrost degradationsubarctic peatlandssurface energy balanceclimate changeland–atmosphere coupling |
| spellingShingle | Christian Stiegler Margareta Johansson Torben R. Christensen Mikhail Mastepanov Anders Lindroth Tundra permafrost thaw causes significant shifts in energy partitioning Tellus: Series B, Chemical and Physical Meteorology permafrost degradation subarctic peatlands surface energy balance climate change land–atmosphere coupling |
| title | Tundra permafrost thaw causes significant shifts in energy partitioning |
| title_full | Tundra permafrost thaw causes significant shifts in energy partitioning |
| title_fullStr | Tundra permafrost thaw causes significant shifts in energy partitioning |
| title_full_unstemmed | Tundra permafrost thaw causes significant shifts in energy partitioning |
| title_short | Tundra permafrost thaw causes significant shifts in energy partitioning |
| title_sort | tundra permafrost thaw causes significant shifts in energy partitioning |
| topic | permafrost degradation subarctic peatlands surface energy balance climate change land–atmosphere coupling |
| url | http://www.tellusb.net/index.php/tellusb/article/view/30467/45862 |
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