USGS Science⌕ Search
Home/Archive/USGS

USGS · 70202576

Towards determining spatial methane distribution on Arctic permafrost bluffs with an unmanned aerial system

Ferdinand K. J. Oberle·Ann E. Gibbs·Bruce M. Richmond·Li H. Erikson·Mark P. Waldrop·Peter W. Swarzenski
View original source ↗Export metadata ↓

Abstract

Arctic permafrost stores vast amounts of methane (CH 4 ) in subsurface reservoirs. Thawing permafrost creates areas for this potent greenhouse gas to be released to the atmosphere. Identifying ‘hot spots’ of methane flux on a local scale has been limited by the spatial scales of traditional ground-based or satellite-based methane-sampling methods. Here we present a reliable and an easily replicable design using only off-the-shelf, cost-effective methane sensor components and an Unmanned Aerial System (UAS). Our results demonstrate the high efficiency of the design and the advantages of this methodology for environmental methane studies that are subjected to the high spatial variability of methane levels. On Barter Island, NE Alaska, we noted spikes in CH 4 concentrations coincident with topographic features or anomalies. Such spikes may be attributed to enhanced land/air transfer and may reveal zones of high methane production and/or minimal oxidation in areas of thermoerosional gullies along thawing coastal zones. Thermoerosional gullies represent hotspots that release significantly higher levels of methane than the surrounding areas, thus suggesting that point sampling is inadequate in characterizing methane releases and that increasing rates of permafrost thaw may result in increasing point sources of high CH 4 emissions.

Explore related subjects

SN Applied SciencesArticle

Keep this discovery

Explore connections, maps & timelines

BibTeXRIS

Ferdinand K. J. Oberle, Ann E. Gibbs, Bruce M. Richmond, Li H. Erikson, Mark P. Waldrop, Peter W. Swarzenski. 2019-02-16. Towards determining spatial methane distribution on Arctic permafrost bluffs with an unmanned aerial system. https://doi.org/10.1007/s42452-019-0242-9

Cite the original work for its findings. Save a collection to share your selection of sources.

KEEP EXPLORING

Related USGS reports

USGS2020

A multi-model approach toward understanding iron fouling at rock-fill drainage sites along roadways in New Hampshire, USA

Factors affecting iron fouling in wet areas adjacent to roadways were investigated by collecting field rock cut and aqueous physicochemical data; developing exploratory predictive models; and developing geochemical models. Basic data included the identification of iron fouling from aerial imagery and field visits at 374 New Hampshire rock cut locations, and their associated rock-fill sites. Based on field water quality measurements from wet areas at 36 of the rock-fill sites, the occurrence of iron fouling was associated with higher values of specific conductance, lower concentrations of dissolved oxygen and lower pH compared to areas without iron fouling. A statistical model, using boosted regression trees, was developed to predict the occurrence of iron fouling in wet areas adjacent to roadways where rock-fill from nearby rock cuts was used in roadway construction. The model was used to develop a continuous iron fouling probability map for the state of New Hampshire that can be used to better understand the occurrence of iron fouling. Geochemical models illustrate how iron fouling of waters increases along roadways built with fill from sulfidic rock cuts as a result of acid generation from pyrite dissolution and ferrous iron (Fe 2+ ) oxidation and increases in areas with greater specific conductance from deicing runoff caused by cation exchange. More iron is precipitated as goethite in simulations that include pyrite, and in simulations with deicing salts added, indicating that rock-fill sites with rocks that contain pyrite and water with greater salt content could have enhanced iron fouling.

New Hampshire↗