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Extremes of summer climate trigger thousands of thermokarst landslides in a High Arctic environment

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  • Antoni G. Lewkowicz

    (University of Ottawa)

  • Robert G. Way

    (Queen’s University)

Abstract

Retrogressive thaw slumps (RTS) – landslides caused by the melt of ground ice in permafrost – have become more common in the Arctic, but the timing of this recent increase and its links to climate have not been fully established. Here we annually resolve RTS formation and longevity for Banks Island, Canada (70,000 km2) using the Google Earth Engine Timelapse dataset. We describe a 60-fold increase in numbers between 1984 and 2015 as more than 4000 RTS were initiated, primarily following four particularly warm summers. Colour change due to increased turbidity occurred in 288 lakes affected by RTS outflows and sediment accumulated in many valley floors. Modelled RTS initiation rates increased by an order of magnitude between 1906–1985 and 2006–2015, and are projected under RCP4.5 to rise to >10,000 decade−1 after 2075. These results provide additional evidence that ice-rich continuous permafrost terrain can be highly vulnerable to changing summer climate.

Suggested Citation

  • Antoni G. Lewkowicz & Robert G. Way, 2019. "Extremes of summer climate trigger thousands of thermokarst landslides in a High Arctic environment," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 10(1), pages 1-11, December.
    • Handle: RePEc:nat:natcom:v:10:y:2019:i:1:d:10.1038_s41467-019-09314-7
    DOI: 10.1038/s41467-019-09314-7
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    Cited by:

    1. Jinlong Li & Genxu Wang & Chunlin Song & Shouqin Sun & Jiapei Ma & Ying Wang & Linmao Guo & Dongfeng Li, 2024. "Recent intensified erosion and massive sediment deposition in Tibetan Plateau rivers," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 15(1), pages 1-12, December.
    2. Ionut Cristi Nicu & Knut Stalsberg & Lena Rubensdotter & Vibeke Vandrup Martens & Anne-Cathrine Flyen, 2020. "Coastal Erosion Affecting Cultural Heritage in Svalbard. A Case Study in Hiorthhamn (Adventfjorden)—An Abandoned Mining Settlement," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(6), pages 1-21, March.
    3. Tracey A. Proverbs & Trevor C. Lantz & Gwich’in Tribal Council Department of Cultural Heritage, 2020. "Cumulative Environmental Impacts in the Gwich’in Cultural Landscape," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(11), pages 1-22, June.
    4. Shawn M. Chartrand & A. Mark Jellinek & Antero Kukko & Anna Grau Galofre & Gordon R. Osinski & Shannon Hibbard, 2023. "High Arctic channel incision modulated by climate change and the emergence of polygonal ground," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 14(1), pages 1-12, December.
    5. Anna Małka, 2021. "Landslide susceptibility mapping of Gdynia using geographic information system-based statistical models," Natural Hazards: Journal of the International Society for the Prevention and Mitigation of Natural Hazards, Springer;International Society for the Prevention and Mitigation of Natural Hazards, vol. 107(1), pages 639-674, May.

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