Long-term Climate-influenced Land Cover Change in Discontinuous Permafrost Peatland Complexes

Examines how climate warming and permafrost thaw drive long-term transitions from forested peatlands to wetlands and eventually to permafrost-free forests in northern Canada.

Data and Resources

Additional Info

Field Value
Creator Academic Journal
Summary We combine extensive geomatics data across the Taiga Plains with ground-based hydrometeorological measurements collected in the Scotty Creek basin, Northwest Territories, Canada, which is located in the medial latitudes of the Taiga Plains and is undergoing rapid landscape change. These data are used to inform a new conceptual framework of landscape evolution that accounts for the observed patterns of permafrost thaw-induced land cover change and provides a basis for predicting future changes. Permafrost thaw-induced changes in hydrology promote partial drainage and drying of collapse scar wetlands, leading to areas of afforestation forming treed wetlands without underlying permafrost.
Local Relevance Highly relevant to the Northwest Territories, showing how permafrost thaw is reshaping nearby landscapes, water systems, and ecosystems.
Notes
Tags Permafrost thaw,NWT Climate Change,Wetlands
Geographic Region NWT
Release Date 2021-06-16
Last Modified Date 2021-06-16
Funding Program