Interdisciplinary Approaches for Understanding Thermokarst Initiation and Landscape Evolution: Advances in Permafrost Science

Session ID#: 282629

Session Description:
Permafrost degradation is widespread across the Arctic and subarctic, occurring both through gradual top-down thaw and also through more abrupt thaw processes associated with surface subsidence and collapse, known as thermokarst. Thermokarst terrain is expanding in many areas and poses a significant threat to ecosystems, human infrastructure and communities, and landscape stability. Identification of thermokarst features in their early stages remains challenging, with the exact drivers and subsurface mechanics still poorly understood. This makes forecasting even at short timescales difficult to constrain. We invite contributions that integrate data from a variety of disciplines (including geology, ecology, soil science, and polar science) and a range of approaches (including field, remote sensing, and modeling efforts) that explore the detection, drivers, underlying dynamics, and prediction of thermokarst across diverse landscapes. We seek to bring together interdisciplinary presenters to gain a more holistic understanding of the state of thermokarst research.
Index Terms:

0702 Permafrost [CRYOSPHERE]
0708 Thermokarst [CRYOSPHERE]
0774 Dynamics [CRYOSPHERE]
0794 Instruments and techniques [CRYOSPHERE]
Primary Convener:  Jennifer Kielhofer, Desert Research Institute Reno, Earth and Ecosystem Sciences, Reno, NV, United States
Convener:  Benjamin Maglio, Institute of Arctic Biology, University of Alaska Fairbanks, Fairbanks, United States; Institute of Arctic and Alpine Research, University of Colorado Boulder, Boulder, United States
See more of: Cryosphere