Methane production from permafrost thaw in upland taliks

Katey Walter Anthony (Water and Environmental Research Center) is leading a 3-year project funded by Tito's Handmade Vodka to study methane production and emissions from permafrost thaw in upland taliks. 

This summer, researchers conducted weekly methane and carbon dioxide flux measurements in a variety of upland-permafrost thaw settings testing the hypothesis that emissions are related to time-since-thaw. They also drilled boreholes to study the thawing permafrost sediments and install soil sensors to monitor the taliks year-round.

This project is a collaboration with researchers from the Woodwell Climate Research Center's Permafrost Pathways, USGS, and the University of Alaska Geophysical Institute.

Image top: Researchers collect and sample thawed permafrost sediments from upland taliks near Fairbanks, Alaska. UAF/INE photo by Katey Walter Anthony.