Geography

InSAR detects increase in surface subsidence caused by an Arctic tundra fire

Document Type

Article

Abstract

Wildfire is a major disturbance in the Arctic tundra and boreal forests, having a significant impact on soil hydrology, carbon cycling, and permafrost dynamics. This study explores the use of the microwave Interferometric Synthetic Aperture Radar (InSAR) technique to map and quantify ground surface subsidence caused by the Anaktuvuk River fire on the North Slope of Alaska. We detected an increase of up to 8cm of thaw-season ground subsidence after the fire, which is due to a combination of thickened active layer and permafrost thaw subsidence. Our results illustrate the effectiveness and potential of using InSAR to quantify fire impacts on the Arctic tundra, especially in regions underlain by ice-rich permafrost. Our study also suggests that surface subsidence is a more comprehensive indicator of fire impacts on ice-rich permafrost terrain than changes in active layer thickness alone. © 2014. American Geophysical Union. All Rights Reserved.

Publication Title

Geophysical Research Letters

Publication Date

2014

Volume

41

Issue

11

First Page

3906

Last Page

3913

ISSN

0094-8276

DOI

10.1002/2014GL060533

Keywords

Arctic, permafrost, remote sensing, subsidence, tundra, wildfire

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