Permafrost vulnerability to climate change may be underestimated unless effects of wildfire are considered. Here we assess impacts of wildfire on soil thermal regime and rate of thermokarst bog expansion resulting from complete permafrost thaw in western Canadian permafrost peatlands. Effects of wildfire on permafrost peatlands last for 30 years and include a warmer and deeper active layer, and spatial expansion of continuously thawed soil layers (taliks). These impacts on the soil thermal regime are associated with a tripled rate of thermokarst bog expansion along permafrost edges. Our results suggest that wildfire is directly responsible for 2200 ± 1500 km2 (95% CI) of thermokarst bog development in the study region over the last 30 years, representing ~25% of all thermokarst bog expansion during this period. With increasing fire frequency under a warming climate, this study emphasizes the need to consider wildfires when projecting future circumpolar permafrost thaw.
Related Resources
Estimating the Size of the Reclamation and Restoration Economy and Supply Chain in Alberta
Resource Date:
2021
Organization
Webinar - Boreal Peatlands in the Discontinuous Permafrost Zone of Canada
Resource Date:
October
2021
Organization
Integration of Multi-scale Remote Sensing Data for Reindeer Lichen Fractional Cover Mapping in Eastern Canada
Resource Date:
December
2021
Demographic Responses of a Threatened, Low-density Ungulate to Annual Variation in Meteorological and Phenological Conditions
Resource Date:
October
2021
Plant Functional Trait Approach to Assess the Persistence of Seismic Line Footprint in Boreal Peatlands of Alberta, Canada
Resource Date:
January
2021
Organization
Was this helpful?
|