Unprecedented Acceleration of Winter River Flow Associated with Permafrost Thaw in Russian Arctic

Environmental Research Letters, December 30

The winter flow of Russia’s massive Yenisei River – the largest river emptying into the Arctic Ocean – increased 80% between 1995 and 2019, unprecedented in the record going back to 1784. This acceleration may have begun as early as 1960. Previous studies have attributed such changes in wintertime freshwater flow to both warmer air temperatures, and changes in seasonal precipitation or snowpack. However this study, together with other recent research suggests that increased permafrost thaw, including abrupt processes along the Yenisei River basin, as well as forest fires that decrease the water holding capacity of surrounding vegetation may be the most important drivers of this increased winter flow; which in turn may decrease Arctic sea ice cover in the region.

https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.1088/1748-9326/ac3e20