EAGER: Thermokarst lake carbon gas emission estimates and scaling

当永久冻土融化和沉降时形成的热岩溶湖是北极地区的常见特征。最近，这些湖泊被确定为甲烷释放到大气中的关键途径。然而，量化这些通量仍然是难以捉摸的。该项目的目的是将湖泊甲烷气体排放的直接观测、这些排放的局部地球物理测绘和区域尺度卫星观测联系起来，以改进北极融化湖甲烷气体释放的量化和标度。将采用快速和非侵入性的地面地球物理测量来描述热岩溶湖甲烷排放，发展湖泊扩张与甲烷排放之间的关系，然后使用合成孔径雷达图像将结果缩放到更大的区域。直接、地球物理和遥感测量的协同作用将提供以前无法获得的相互关联的多尺度观测。这项工作的结果对理解全球碳预算、北极工程和环境监测方法的发展具有重要意义。此外，该研究将为探地雷达和合成孔径雷达方法提供额外的验证，有利于各自的发展领域，并鼓励这些方法在北极地区得到更广泛的应用。这一项目包括向当地社区开展外联工作，从而形成科学成果摘要，供普遍传播。研究生和本科生将在整个研究过程中得到指导。该奖项反映了美国国家科学基金会的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的知识价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

Thermokarst lakes that form when permafrost thaws and subsides are common features in Arctic regions. Recently, these lakes have been identified as providing a key pathway for methane release to the atmosphere. However, quantifying these fluxes has remained elusive. The purpose of this project is to connect direct observations of lake methane gas emissions, local geophysical mapping of these emissions, and regional-scale satellite-based observations, to improve the quantification and scaling of methane gas release from Arctic thaw lakes.Rapid and non-invasive ground-based geophysical measurements will be taken to describe thermokarst lake methane emissions, develop relationships between lake expansion and methane emissions, and then use Synthetic Aperture Radar imagery to scale the results to large regions. The synergy of direct, geophysical, and remote sensing measurements will provide linked, multi- scale observations not previously available. The outcomes of this work have implications for understanding global carbon budgets, Arctic engineering, and the development of environmental monitoring methods. Furthermore, this research will provide additional validation to the Ground Penetrating Radar and Synthetic Aperture Radar methods, benefit their respective development fields, and encourage more widespread application of these methods across the Arctic. This project includes outreach efforts to local communities that will result in summaries of the scientific results for general dissemination. Graduate and undergraduate students will be mentored throughout the research.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.