Abstract
Our study highlights the usefulness of very high resolution (VHR) images to detect various types of disturbances over permafrost areas using three example regions in different permafrost zones. The study focuses on detecting subtle changes in land cover classes, thermokarst water bodies, river dynamics, retrogressive thaw slumps (RTS) and infrastructure in the Yamal Peninsula, Urengoy and Pechora regions. Very high-resolution optical imagery (sub-meter) derived from WorldView, QuickBird and GeoEye in conjunction with declassified Corona images were involved in the analyses. The comparison of very high-resolution images acquired in 2003/2004 and 2016/2017 indicates a pronounced increase in the extent of tundra and a slight increase of land covered by water. The number of water bodies increased in all three regions, especially in discontinuous permafrost, where 14.86% of new lakes and ponds were initiated between 2003 and 2017. The analysis of the evolution of two river channels in Yamal and Urengoy indicates the dominance of erosion during the last two decades. An increase of both rivers’ lengths and a significant widening of the river channels were also observed. The number and total surface of RTS in the Yamal Peninsula strongly increased between 2004 and 2016. A mean annual headwall retreat rate of 1.86 m/year was calculated. Extensive networks of infrastructure occurred in the Yamal Peninsula in the last two decades, stimulating the initiation of new thermokarst features. The significant warming and seasonal variations of the hydrologic cycle, in particular, increased snow water equivalent acted in favor of deepening of the active layer; thus, an increasing number of thermokarst lake formations.
Highlights
Over the past three decades, arctic regions have experienced various changes in land cover [1] and landscape structure [2] due to the rapid increase of air temperature [3] and human development [4]
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Our study demonstrates the usefulness of very high resolution (VHR) satellite data for the detection of smaller features and quantifying subtle changes in Arctic environments
Summary
Over the past three decades, arctic regions have experienced various changes in land cover [1] and landscape structure [2] due to the rapid increase of air temperature [3] and human development [4]. In high-latitude regions, the recent atmospheric warming trend was considerably stronger than elsewhere, with an average increase of surface air temperature of about 0.6 ◦C/decade over the last 30 years [3]. Large regions in the high latitudes of the Northern Hemisphere remain relatively understudied due to harsh environments and remoteness, leading to incomplete knowledge of the disturbances and significance of change to environmental processes. In this context, remote sensing techniques have proved to be valuable tools to analyze changing landscapes in arctic regions [1]. The omission of Siberian tundra ponds would mean an underestimation of carbon dioxide emissions of 35–62% [23]
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