Extracted from the NSF award abstract:
The major objective of this proof of concept study is to evaluate the contribution of Subterranean Groundwater Discharge (SGD) in the Arctic to the global methane budget. Methane is a potent greenhouse gas and large natural reservoirs exist in Arctic soils and permafrost. The working hypothesis is that methane released from thawing permafrost in the Arctic is transported via groundwater flow (above and below the permafrost layer) and enters the atmosphere via coastal waters and lakes. This source of methane may be realized as an important source of natural methane to the atmosphere and may provide a positive feedback to global warming.
The objectives of the study are:
1) To estimate the magnitude of subterranean groundwater discharge and associated methane flux into lakes and coastal waters in Alaska at three representative sites.
2) To evaluate methane evasion rates from the water column to the atmosphere.
3) To determine if the contribution of methane input from subterranean groundwater discharge to the global methane budget is significant, and if so
4) To use the preliminary data to design a more through research plan that will enable precise estimates of fluxes and provide a basis for global extrapolation of results such that the contribution of this source to current and future climate changes and the global methane budget will be possible.
The project will support a graduate student full time for two years. Undergraduate students in the ACCESS program and the California Alliance for Minority Participation in Science, Engineering and Mathematics program at UCSC will also participate in the proposed work. The PIs will work with COSEE Alaska to ntegrate this work in their outreach and education activities including teacher workshops, symposia, and work with local communities in Alaska.
PUBLICATIONS PRODUCED AS A RESULT OF THIS RESEARCH
Note: When clicking on a Digital Object Identifier (DOI) number, you will be taken to an external site maintained by the publisher. Some full text articles may not yet be available without a charge during the embargo (administrative interval).
Some links on this page may take you to non-federal websites. Their policies may differ from this site.
Ms. Alanna Lecher , Dr. Natasha Dimova , Ms. Katy Sparrow , Dr. Fenix Garcia-Tigreros , Mr. Joseph Murray , Dr. Slawek Tulaczyk , Dr. John Kessler. "Groundwater Discharge a Conduit for Methane Emissions in the Arctic," Nature Geoscience, 2015.
Dataset | Latest Version Date | Current State |
---|---|---|
Radium in natural waters of Alaska | 2017-06-12 | Final no updates expected |
Isotopes d2H and d18O in Alaskan ground, lake, and river water from the area of Toolik Lake, Alaska from 2012-2014 (Groundwater Discharge Methane project) | 2017-01-03 | Final no updates expected |
Isotopes in methane in natural waters of Alaska | 2016-04-14 | Final no updates expected |
Lead Principal Investigator: Adina Paytan
University of California-Santa Cruz (UCSC)
Co-Principal Investigator: Dr Slawek Tulaczyk
University of California-Santa Cruz (UCSC)
Contact: Adina Paytan
University of California-Santa Cruz (UCSC)
2013 Arctic Data Management Plan (36.16 KB)
04/07/2016