Permafrost thaw from wildfires: originally posted by CDN_dude at
https://forum.arctic-sea-ice.net/index.php/topic,1053.msg166992.html#msg166992" ... we showed that wildfire in boreal peatlands within the discontinuous permafrost zone cause permafrost thaw through active layer deepening and talik expansion on peat plateaus, but also through accelerated thermokarst bog development along peat plateau edges."
" ... permafrost thaw at the edges of peat plateaus (i.e. thermokarst bog development) is considered irreversible given that these ecosystems undergo a complete successional shift to a new vegetation community that also includes strongly altered soil thermal and hydrological regimes."
"We estimated the total peat plateau loss to 9800 ± 4100 km^2 (95% CI), of which 2200 ± 1500 km^2 , or ~23%, was directly attributed to the increased rate of thermokarst bog development that occurs following wildfire."
Caveat: "It is not clear from this study whether the role of wildfire as a driver of thermokarst bog expansion has become relatively more important ..."
DOI: 10.1038/s41467-018-05457-1
open access, read all about it.
sidd