Earth’s Cryosphere, 2023, Vol. XXVII, No. 4, p. 3-11.
GEOCRYOLOGICAL MONITORING AND FORECAST
LONG-TERM MONITORING OF THE ACTIVE LAYER THICKNESS IN TYPICAL TUNDRAS OF THE WESTERN YAMAL
A.A. Vasiliev*, G.E. Oblogov, R.S. Shirokov
Earth Cryosphere Institute, Tyumen Scientific Center of Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Malygina St. 86, Tyumen, 625026 Russia
*Corresponding author; e-mail: al.a.vasiliev@gmail.com
Data on the interannual dynamics of the active layer thickness (ALT) in the dominant landscapes of typical tundra at the Marre-Sale geocryological station (western coast of the Yamal Peninsula) are presented. It is shown that drained landscapes have the maximum response to changes in climatic conditions, while wet and boggy landscapes are characterized by the reduced rates of increase in the active layer depth. The slow increase in the ALT during the current climate warming is explained by the presence of an ice-rich horizon in the upper part of permafrost, thaw subsidence of the surface, and an increase in the height of the moss cover. The uneven growth of vegetation, primarily mosses, creates considerable contrasts in the spatial distribution of the active layer depth. For a regional assessment of the thawing depth, the use of its mean weighted value with due account for the share of each landscape in the entire landscape structure of the region is recommended.
Keywords: climate change, active layer thickness, monitoring, dominant landscapes, surface subsidence, moss cover, Marre-Sale.
Recommended citation: Vasiliev A.A., Oblogov G.E., Shirokov R.S., 2023. Long-term monitoring of the active layer thickness in typical tundras of the Western Yamal. Earth’s Cryosphere XXVII (4), 3–11.