Name
Ongoing changes in climate and cryohydro(geo)logy in northernmost Sweden
Date & Time
Wednesday, May 27, 2026, 10:30 AM - 11:00 AM
Description
Cryospheric components are integral to both alpine and lowland landscapes in northern Sweden. Snow covers the ground from November to May, and the ground remains frozen throughout the summer at higher elevations and in many peatlands. But, like elsewhere in the Arctic the climate here changes rapidly. This presentation focuses on how such ongoing climatic changes affect the cryohydro(geo)logy in Arctic Sweden, based on a handful of our recent studies in the area.
Long-term observational data from rivers in northern Sweden indicate shifts in storage-discharge relationships caused by changing freeze-thaw dynamics and degrading permafrost. Modelling suggest that catchment storage-discharge relationships are more strongly impacted by permafrost degradation in alpine areas, than in lowlands. Although empirical studies on alpine hydrology are currently rare in the region, changes in vegetation composition have been linked to reduced growing season water availability from a loss of perennial snow and ice in alpine areas.
In the lowlands, permafrost is found in peatlands below ice-cored palsa and peat plateau landforms, but widespread thawing of these landforms have been observed across the region. Modelling suggest that thaw rates increase with increasing hydraulic conductivity of surrounding ground materials and that thawing occurs most rapidly from below palsas, rather than as increases in active layer thickness. We project that peatland permafrost will disappear from the region within this century. Our ongoing studies focus on the climatic and landscape controls on groundwater levels, which influence thaw rates as well as greenhouse gas emissions from these peatlands.
Location Name
McInnes Room
Full Address
Dalhousie University
Halifax NS
Canada
Halifax NS
Canada
Session Type
Oral Presentation
Abstract ID
101
Speaker Organization
Umeå University
Session Name
H2 (1 of 3)
Co-authors
Wahdan A. Syaehuddin, Umeå University, Department of Ecology, Environment and Geoscience, Sweden
Ryan A. Sponseller, Umeå University, Department of Ecology, Environment and Geoscience, Sweden
Alexa Hinzman, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Earths Sciences, Netherlands
Ype van der Velde, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Earths Sciences, Netherlands
Steve W. Lyon, Ohio State University, School of Environment and Natural Resources, USA
A. Britta K. Sannel, Stockholm University, Department of Physical Geography, Sweden
Presenting Author
Ylva Sjöberg, Umeå University, Department of Ecology, Environment and Geoscience, Sweden