Wildfire as a major driver of recent permafrost thaw in boreal peatlands

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dc.contributor.authorGibson, Carolyn M.
dc.contributor.authorChasmer, Laura
dc.contributor.authorThompson, Dan
dc.contributor.authorQuinton, William L.
dc.contributor.authorFlannigan, Mike D.
dc.contributor.authorOlefeldt, David
dc.date.accessioned2024-08-29T22:02:25Z
dc.date.available2024-08-29T22:02:25Z
dc.date.issued2018
dc.descriptionOpen access article. Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International license (CC BY 4.0) applies
dc.description.abstractPermafrost 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.
dc.description.peer-reviewYes
dc.identifier.citationGibson, C. M., Chasmer, L. E., Thompson, D. K., Quinton, W. L., Flannigan, M. D., & Olefeldt, D. (2018). Wildfire as a major driver of recent permafrost thaw in boreal peatlands. Nature Communications, 9, Article 3041. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-018-05457-1
dc.identifier.urihttps://hdl.handle.net/10133/6900
dc.language.isoen
dc.publisherNature Portfolio
dc.publisher.departmentDepartment of Geography and Environment
dc.publisher.facultyArts and Science
dc.publisher.institutionUniversity of Alberta
dc.publisher.institutionUniversity of Lethbridge
dc.publisher.institutionCanadian Forest Service
dc.publisher.institutionWilfrid Laurier University
dc.publisher.urlhttps://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-018-05457-1
dc.subjectBoreal ecology
dc.subjectCryospheric science
dc.subjectFire ecology
dc.subjectWetlands ecology
dc.subjectPermafrost thaw
dc.subjectBoreal peatlands
dc.subjectWildland fires
dc.subjectThermokarst bog development
dc.subject.lcshPermafrost--Canada, Western
dc.subject.lcshWildfires--Canada, Western
dc.subject.lcshPeatlands--Canada, Western
dc.subject.lcshThermokarst
dc.titleWildfire as a major driver of recent permafrost thaw in boreal peatlands
dc.typeArticle
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