Northwestern Canada is one of the most rapidly warming regions on Earth and it is transitioning at a rate without analogue in the historical record. Increasing air temperatures alter the ground thermal regime such that permafrost is in disequilibrium with the atmosphere. This can change active layer thickness, increase the areal coverage of supra-permafrost taliks, ground surface subsidence, and rapid mass movements. The nature and rate of permafrost thaw-induced land cover transformations and the associated hydrological and biogeochemical responses and feedbacks are poorly understood, and as a result, there remains considerable uncertainty on the long-term environmental impacts of permafrost thaw. In this session, we invite presentations in hydrology, biogeochemistry, remote sensing and related fields that focus on improving the understanding of and ability to predict permafrost thaw rates and patterns, and their hydrological and geochemical impacts in permafrost landscapes.

Jennifer Korosi, Élise Devoie, Kristine Haynes, Lorna Harris