Disappearing Arctic Lakes (original) (raw)
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Science
3 Jun 2005
Vol 308, Issue 5727
p. 1429
Abstract
Historical archived satellite images were compared with contemporary satellite data to track ongoing changes in more than 10,000 large lakes in rapidly warming Siberia. A widespread decline in lake abundance and area has occurred since 1973, despite slight precipitation increases to the region. The spatial pattern of lake disappearance suggests (i) that thaw and "breaching" of permafrost is driving the observed losses, by enabling rapid lake draining into the subsurface; and (ii) a conceptual model in which high-latitude warming of permafrost triggers an initial but transitory phase of lake and wetland expansion, followed by their widespread disappearance.
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Supplementary Material
References and Notes
1
M. C. Serreze et al., Clim. Change 46, 159 (2000).
2
B. J. Peterson et al., Science 298, 2171 (2002).
3
A. V. Pavlov, N. G. Moskalenko, Permafrost Periglac. Process. 13, 43 (2002).
4
K. E. Frey et al., Polar Res. 22, 287 (2003).
5
K. Yoshikawa, L. D. Hinzman, Permafrost Periglac. Process. 14, 151 (2003).
6
L. C. Smith et al., Science 303, 353 (2004).
7
Y. Sheng et al., Global Biogeochem. Cycles 18, GB3004 (2004).
8
Supported by the NSF Office of Polar Programs, ARCSS Freshwater Initiative grant no. ARC-023091.
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