Permafrost aggradation and methane production in low accumulative laidas (tidal flats) of the Kara Sea

Abstract

It was established that along with permafrost degradation, the processes of permafrost aggradation occur in the modern low accumulative surfaces of Kara Sea. The cycle of observation over the permafrost thermal regime was performed. The mean annual temperatire of the permafrost varies from – 3.5 to – 4.8°C; the thermal flux into the permafrost can reach 8 W/m². The methane genesis process is realized only in the seasonally thawed layer. It was found that temperature – 4.0°C is threshold for the bacterial methane production.