Patchier permafrost is linked to more intense hillslope erosion in Alaska
The Arctic is warming four times faster than the rest of the globe, and scientists are racing to understand how that fact affects the region's landscapes and ecosystems. Permafrost thaw is one of the most visible signs of climate change, with whole hillslopes of previously frozen ground slumping off and coastlines falling into the ocean. It's disrupting ecosystems, releasing carbon, and…
The Arctic is warming at a much faster rate than other parts of the globe, causing permafrost to thaw and leading to various environmental consequences. Permafrost dissolves unevenly in different landscapes, with some areas having continuous permafrost and others having discontinuous permafrost, in which only 50% to 90% of the landscape is frozen.
A new study examines how these different types of permafrost affect hill slope erosion in Alaska. Researchers investigated sediment cores from 12 lakes in Alaska, comparing sites with more continuous permafrost to those with more discontinuous permafrost. They determined that hillslope erosion processes, which involve the movement of sediments primarily on hillslopes, were more significant than channel erosion processes, which involve the erosion and transport of sediments in channels.
In areas with discontinuous permafrost, the average intensity of hillslope erosion was two to three times greater than in areas with continuous permafrost. This suggests that as warming conditions change some landscapes from continuous to discontinuous permafrost, hillslope erosion could increase significantly.
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