Skip to main content

Offshore permafrost and gas hydrate stability zone on the shelf of East Siberian Seas

Geo-Marine Letters volume 25, pages 167–182 (2005)Cite this article

Abstract

Dynamics of the submarine permafrost regime, including distribution, thickness, and temporal evolution, was modeled for the Laptev and East Siberian Sea shelf zones. This work included simulation of the permafrost-related gas hydrate stability zone (GHSZ). Simulations were compared with field observations. Model sensitivity runs were performed using different boundary conditions, including a variety of geological conditions as well as two distinct geothermal heat flows (45 and 70 mW/m2). The heat flows used are typical for the coastal lowlands of the Laptev Sea and East Siberian Sea. Use of two different geological deposits, that is, unconsolidated Cainozoic strata and solid bedrock, resulted in the significantly different magnitudes of permafrost thickness, a result of their different physical and thermal properties. Both parameters, the thickness of the submarine permafrost on the shelf and the related development of the GHSZ, were simulated for the last four glacial-eustatic cycles (400,000 years). The results show that the most recently formed permafrost is continuous to the 60-m isobath; at the greater depths of the outer part of the shelf it changes to discontinuous and “patchy” permafrost. However, model results suggest that the entire Arctic shelf is underlain by relic permafrost in a state stable enough for gas hydrates. Permafrost, as well as the GHSZ, is currently storing probable significant greenhouse gas sources, especially methane that has formed by the decomposition of gas hydrates at greater depth. During climate cooling and associated marine regression, permafrost aggradation takes place due to the low temperatures and the direct exposure of the shelf to the atmosphere. Permafrost degradation takes place during climate warming and marine transgression. However, the temperature of transgressing seawater in contact with the former terrestrial permafrost landscape remains below zero, ranging from −0.5 to −1.8°C, meaning permafrost degradation does not immediately occur. The submerged permafrost degrades slowly, undergoing a transformation in form from ice bonded terrestrial permafrost to ice bearing submarine permafrost that does not possess a temperature gradient. Finally the thickness of ice bearing permafrost decreases from its lower boundary due to the geothermal heat flow. The modeling indicated several other features. There exists a time lag between extreme states in climatic forcing and associated extreme states of permafrost thickness. For example, permafrost continued to degrade for up to 10,000 years following a temperature decline had begun after a climate optimum. Another result showed that the dynamic of permafrost thickness and the variation of the GHSZ are similar but not identical. For example, it can be shown that in recent time permafrost degradation has taken place at the outer part of the shelf whereas the GHSZ is stable or even thickening.

This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution.

Access options

Buy single article

Instant access to the full article PDF.

USD 39.95

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Fig. 1
Fig. 2
Fig. 3
Fig. 4
Fig. 5
Fig. 6
Fig. 7
Fig. 8
Fig. 9

References

  • Anisimov MA and Tumskoi VE (2003) Ice beds in the island of Novaya Sibir’ (Novosibirskie Islands, Russia). In: Proceedings of the International conference Kriosfera Zemli kak sreda zhizneobespecheniya (Earth Cryosphere as Life-Support System), Pushchino (Russia) (in Russian), pp 232–233

  • Balobaev VT (1991) Geotermiya merzloi zony litosfery Severa Azii (Geothermal Measurements in the Permafrost of Northern Asia) (in Russian). Nauka, Novisibirsk, p 193

    Google Scholar 

  • Bauch HF, Muller-Lupp T, Taldenkova E (2001) Chronology of the Holocene transgression at the Northern Siberia margin. Global Planet Change 31:125–139

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Chappell J, Omura A, Esat T, McCulloch M, Pandolfi J, Ota Y, Pillans B (1996) Reconciliation of late Quaternary sea level derived from coral terraces at Huon Peninsula with deep sea oxygen isotope records. Earth Planet Sci Lett 141:227–236

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Chuvilin EM, Perlova EV, Makhonina NA, Yakushev VS (2000) Research of hydrate and ice formation in soils during cyclic fluctuations of temperature. In: Thimus JF (ed) Ground freezing 2000. Balkema, Rotterdam, pp 9–14

    Google Scholar 

  • Creager JS, McManus DA (1967) Bottom sediments data from the continental shelf of the Chuckchi and Bering seas. Washington University Department of Oceanography Technical Report, vol 135, pp 343–351

  • Danilov ID, Komarov IA, Vlasenko AYu (1997) Dynamics of the cryolithosphere in the shelf-continent interaction zone within the last 25,000 years (by the example of East Siberian Sea) (in Russian). Earth Cryosphere 1(3):3–8

    Google Scholar 

  • Danilov ID, Komaro IA, Vlasenko AYu (1998) Pleistocene–Holocene Permafrost of the East Siberian Eurasian Arctic shelf. In: Proceedings of the 7th international conference on permafrost, June 23–27, Yellowknife, Canada, pp 207–212

  • Danilov ID, Komarov IA, Vlasenko AYu (2000) Cryolithozone of the East Siberian Shelf in the Last 80 000 Years (in Russian). Earth Cryosphere 4(1):18–23

    Google Scholar 

  • Delisle G (1998) Temporal variability of subsea permafrost and gas hydrate occurrences as a function of climate change in the Laptev Sea, Siberia. Polarforschung 68:221–226

    Google Scholar 

  • Devyatkin VN (1993) Teplovoi potok kriolitozony Sibiri (Thermal Flux from the Cryolithozone of Siberia) (in Russian). Nauka, Novosbirsk, p 165

    Google Scholar 

  • Dmitrenko IA, Hoelemann JA, Kirillov SA (2001) Thermal regime of the near-bottom layer of the Laptev Sea and the processes controlling it (in Russian). Earth Cryosphere 5(3):40–55

    Google Scholar 

  • Drachev SS (1998) Laptev Sea rifted continental margin: modern knowledge and unsolved questions. Polarforschung 68:41–50

    Google Scholar 

  • Drachev SS, Savostin LA, Bruni JE (1995) Structural pattern and tectonic history of the Laptev Sea region. Rep Polar Res 176:348–367

    Google Scholar 

  • Drachev SS, Jonson GL, Laxon SW (1999) Main structural elements of eastern Arctic Continental Margin derived from satellite gravity and multichannel seismic reflection data. In: Kassens H, Bauch HA, Dmitrenko I, Eicken H, Hubberten H-W, Melles M, Thiede J, Timokhov L (eds) Land–Ocean systems in the Siberian Arctic: dynamics and history. Springer, Berlin Heidelberg New York, pp 667–682

    Google Scholar 

  • Drachev SS, Kaul N, Beliaev VN (2003) Eurasia spreading basin to Laptev Shelf transition: structural pattern and heat flow. Geophys J Int 152:688–698

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Duchkov AD (ed) (1985) Catalogue of geothermal heat flow data of Siberia (1966–1984) Institute of Geology and Geophysics of Siberian Branch of USSR Academia of Science (in Russian). Novosibirsk, p 82

  • Duchkuv AD and Sokolova LS (1985) Temperature of the lithosphere of Siberia according to geothermal data. Sovetskaia Geologi I Geophisika (in Russian). USSR Geology Geophisc 26:53–61

    Google Scholar 

  • Fairbanks RJ (1989) A 17 000-years glacio-eustatic sea level record: influence of glacial melting rates on the Younger Dryas event and deep ocean circulation. Nature 342:637–642

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Fartyshev AI (1993) Osobennosti pribrezhno-shel’fovoi kriolitopzony morya Laptevykh (Pecularities of Permafrost in the Shelf Zone of the Laptev Sea) (in Russian). SB Nauka Publisher, Novosibirsk, p 135

    Google Scholar 

  • Franke D, Hinz K, Blok M, Drachev SS, Neben S, Kos’ko MK, Reichert Chr, Roester HA (1998) Tectonics of the Laptev Sea region in North-Eastern Siberia. Polarforschung 68:51–58

    Google Scholar 

  • Franke D, Krueger F, Kling KD (2000) Tectonics of the Laptev Sea—Moma ‘Rift’ region: investigation with seismologic broadband data. J Seismology 4:99–116

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Franke D, Hinz K, Oncken O (2001) The Laptev Sea rift. Mar Petrol Geol 18(10):1083–1127

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Gavrilov AV, Tumskoi VE (2001) Evolution of the temperature of rocks in coastal lowlands of Yakutia in the middle and late Pleistocene (in Russian). Earth Cryosphere 4:3–16

    Google Scholar 

  • Gavrilov AV, Tumskoi VE, Romanovskii NN (2000) Reconstruction of mean annual permafrost temperature dynamics in coastal lowlands and the Arctic Shelf of Yakutia within the last 400,000 years (in Russian). Earth Cryosphere 4(4):3–14

    Google Scholar 

  • Gavrilov AV, Romanovskii NN, Romanovsky VE, Hubberten HW (2001) Offshore permafrost distribution and thickness in the eastern region of the Russian Arctic. In: Semiletov IP (ed) Changes in the atmosphere–land–sea system in the Amerasian Arctic (in Russian). In: Proceedings of the Arctic Regional Center Vladivostok, vol 3. pp 209–218

  • Gavrilov AV, Romanovskii NN, Romanovsky VE, Hubberten H-W, Tumskoy VE (2003) Reconstruction of ice complex remnants on the East Siberian Arctic Shelf. Permafrost Periglacial Processes 14:187–198

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Geotermicheskay karta mira (Geothermal Map of the World, scale 1:45 M) (1988) Explanatory note (in Russian). VSEGEI, Leningrad, p 41

  • Glossary of Permafrost and Related Ground-Ice Terms (1988) National Research Council Canada. Technical Memorandum No.142, p 156

  • Grigor’ev NF (1966) Monogoletnemerzlye porody Primosrskoi zony Yakutii (Permafrost in the Coastal Zone of Yakutia) (in Russian). Nauka Publisher, Moscow, p 180

    Google Scholar 

  • Grigoriev MN, Rachold V, Bolshiyanov DYu, Pfeiffer EM, Schirrmeister L, Wagner D, Hubberten H-W (eds) (2003) Russian–German Cooperation System Laptev Sea—the expedition lena 2002. Rep Polar Mar Res 466:341

    Google Scholar 

  • Groisman AG (1985) Teplophisicheskie svoistva gazovih hydratov (Thermophysical properties of Gas Hydrates) (in Russian). Nauka, Novosibirsk, p 94

    Google Scholar 

  • Hinz K, Delisle G, Block M (1998) Seismic evidence for the depth extend of permafrost in shelf sediments of the Laptev Sea, Russian Arctic? In: Proceedings of the 7th international conference on permafrost, June 23–27, Yellowknife, Canada, pp 453–457

  • Holmes ML, Creager JS (1974) Holocen history of the Laptev Sea Continental shelf. In: Herman Y (ed) Marine geology and oceanography. Springer, Berlin Heidelberg New York, pp 211–229

    Google Scholar 

  • Hopkins DM (1976) History of sea-level changes in Beringia within the last 250,000 years, Beringiya v Kainozoe (Beringia in the Cenozoic) (in Russian). DVNC AN SSSR, Vladivostok, pp 9–27

  • Hubberten H-W, Romanovskii NN (1999) Recent approach to the problem “Paleoreconstruction of the climate-sea-land interaction” during Pleistocene–Holocene as a base for the field research and monitoring: Laptev Sea Region (in Russian). Abstracts, In: Conference“Monitoring of the Cryosphere”, Pushchino, p 36

  • Hubberten H-W and Romanovskii NN (2000) Onshore and offshore permafrost of the Laptev Sea region during the Late Pleistocene–Holocene glacial-eustatic cycle. Polarforschung 68:227–230

    Google Scholar 

  • Hubberten H-W, Romanovskii NN (2003) The main features of permafrost in the Laptev Sea region, Russia—a review. In: Proceedings of the 8th international conference on permafrost, 21–25 July 2003, Zurich, Switzerland, A.A. Balkema, Rotterdam, vol 1, pp 431–436

  • Ivanov VF (1982) Sea-level oscillations near the coasts of eastern Chukotka in the Late Pleistocene and Holocene. Kolebaniya urovnya morei i okeanov za 15 000 let (Fluctuations in the Level of Seas and Oceans within the Last 15 000 years) (in Russian). Nauka, Moscow, pp 190–195

  • Kaplina TN (1981) Late Cenozoic history of permafrost in the North of Yakutia, Istoriya razvitiya mnogoletnemerzlykh porof Evrazii (History of Permafrost in Eurasia) (in Russian). Nauka, Moscow, pp 153–181

    Google Scholar 

  • Kassens H, Bauch HA, Dmitrenko I, Eicken H, Hubberten H-W, Melles M, Thiede J, Timokhov L (eds) (1999) Land–Ocean systems in the Siberian Arctic: dynamics and history. Springer, Berlin Heidelberg New York, p 711

    Google Scholar 

  • Kholodov AL, Gavrilov AV, Romanovskii NN, and Hubberten H-W (1999) The results of modeling permafrost dynamics in coastal lowlands and within the Arctic Shelf for the last 400,000 years (in Russian). Earth Cryosphere 4(4):32–40

    Google Scholar 

  • Khrutskii SF, Kondrat’eva KA, Rybakova NO (1977) The Section of Cenozoic Deposits in Grabens of the Primorpskii Fault Zone (Yana–Omoloi Interfluve) (in Russian), Merzlotnye issledovaniya, iss. vol XVI, MGU, Moscow, pp 89–108

  • Kuz’min MI, Karabanov EB, Kawai T, Williams D, Bychinskii VA, Kerber EV, Kravchinskii VA, Bezrukova EV, Prokopenko AA, Geletii VE, Kalmychkov GV, Goreglyad AV, Antipin VS, Khomotova MYu, Soshina NM, Ivanov EV, Khursevich GK, Tkachenko LL, Solotchina EP, Ioshida N, Gvozdkov AN (2001) Deep drilling on Lake Baikal: main results (in Russian). Geol Geophys 42:8–34

    Google Scholar 

  • Lysak SV (1988) Geotermicheskii potok kontinental’nykh riftovykh zon (Geothermal Flux in Continental Rift Zones) (in Russian). Nauka Publisher, Novosibirsk, p 200

    Google Scholar 

  • Neizvestnov YaV (1981) Permafrost and Geological Conditions of Arctic Shelves of the USSR, Krilitozona arkticheskogo basseina (Cryyolithozone of the Arctic Basin) (in Russian). Yakutsk, Publisher Inst. Merzlotovedeniya Sib. Otd. Akad Nauk SSSR, pp 18–28

  • Neizvestnov YaV, Voinov ON, Postnov IS (1976) Salt and Gas Composition of Deep Ground Water in Novosibirskie Islands and Adjacent Areas. Geologiya shel’fa vostochnosibirskikh morei (Shelf Geology for East Siberian Seas) (in Russian). Leningrad, Nauchno-Issled. Inst. Geology of Arctic and Antarctic Publisher, pp 78–89

  • Petit JR, Jouzel J, Raynaud D, Barkov NI, Barnola JM, Basile I, Bender M, Chappellaz J, Davis M, Delaygue G, Delmotte M, Kotlyakov VM, Legrand M, Lipenkov VY, Lorius C, Pepin L, Ritz C, Saltzmann E, Stievenard M (1999) Climate and atmospheric history of the past 420,000 years from the Vostok ice core, Antarctica. Nature 399:429–436

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Pfeiffer E-M, Grigoriev MN (eds) (2002) Russian–German Cooperation SYSTEM LAPTEV SEA 2000: the expedition LENA 2001. Rep Polar Mar Res 426

    Google Scholar 

  • Ponomarev VM (1937) Permafrost as seen from newest data (in Russian). Problemy sovetskoi geologii 7(4):27–34

    Google Scholar 

  • Ponomarev VM (1960) Podzemnye vody na territorii s moshchnoi tolshchei mnogolenetnemerzlykh gornykh porod (Ground water in the areas with deep permafrost) (in Russian). Izd. Akad. Nauk SSSR, Moscow, p 200

  • Rachold V (2002) The modern and ancient terrestrial and coastal environment of the Laptev Sea region, Siberian Arctic—a preface. Polarforschung 70:1–2

    Google Scholar 

  • Rachold V, Grigoriev MN (eds) (1999) Russian–German Cooperation SYSTEM LAPTEV SEA 2000: the Lena Delta 1998 expedition. Rep Polar Mar Res 316:259

    Google Scholar 

  • Rachold V, Grigoriev MN (eds) (2000) Russian–German Cooperation SYSTEM LAPTEV SEA 2000: the expedition lena 1999 expedition. Rep Polar Mar Res 354:269

    Google Scholar 

  • Rachold V, Grigoriev MN (eds) (2001) Russian–German Cooperation SYSTEM LAPTEV SEA 2000: the expedition LENA 2000. Rep Polar Mar Res 388:135

    Google Scholar 

  • Romanovskii NN, Hubberten H-W (2001a) The formation and evolution of permafrost in the shelf and coastal lowlands (by the example of Laptev Sea Region) (in Russian). Izvest Akad Nauk ser Geography 3:15–28

    Google Scholar 

  • Romanovskii NN, Hubberten H-W (2001b) Results of permafrost modeling of the lowlands and shelf of the Laptev Sea Region, Russia. Permafrost Periglacial Processes 12:191–202

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Romanovskii NN, Gavrilov AV, Kholodov AL (1997a) Reconstruction of paleogeographic conditions in the late Pleistocene and Holocene glacioeustatic cycle for the Laptev Sea Shelf (in Russian). Earth Cryosphere 1(2):42–49

    Google Scholar 

  • Romanovskii NN, Gavrilov AV, Pustovoit GV, Kholodov AL (1997b) Distribution of relic offshore permafrost in the Laptev Sea Shelf (in Russian). Earth Cryosphere 1(3):9–18

    Google Scholar 

  • Romanovskii NN, Gavrilov AV, Kholodov AL (1998) The forecasting map of Laptev Sea Shelf Off-shore Permafrost. Permafrost. In: Proceedings of 7th international conference on permafrost, June 23–27, Yellowknife, Canada, pp 967–972

  • Romanovskii NN, Kholodov AL, Gavrilov AV, Tipenko GS, Hubberten H-W (1999) Permafrost thickness in the eastern part of the Laptev Sea shelf (results of modeling) (in Russian). Earth Cryosphere 4(2):22–32

    Google Scholar 

  • Romanovskii NN, Hubberten H-W, Romanovsky VE, Kholodov AL (2003) Permafrost evolution under the influence of long-term climate fluctuation and glacio-eustatic sea-level variation: region of Laptev and East Siberian Seas, Russia. In: Proceedings of the 8th international conference on permafrost, 21–25 July 2003, Zurich, Switzerland, A.A. Balkema Publishers, vol 2, pp 983–988

  • Sekretov SB (1998) Petroleum potential of Laptev Sea basins:geological, tectonic and geodynamic factors. Polarforschung 68:179–186

    Google Scholar 

  • Sekretov SB (1999) Eurasian Basin–Laptev Sea geodynamic system: tectonic and structural evolution. Polarforschung 69:51–54

    Google Scholar 

  • Selivanov AO (1996) Izmeneniya urovnya Mirovogo okeana v pleistotsene-golotsene i razvitie morskikh beregov (Changes in Sea Level in the Pleistocene and Holocene and the Development of Sea Coasts) (in Russian). Nauka, Moscow, p 268

    Google Scholar 

  • Sher AV (1984) The age of quaternary deposits in the Yana–Kolyma lowland and surrounding mountains (in Russian). Dokl Akad Nauk SSSR 278(3):708–713

    Google Scholar 

  • Solov’ev VA (1981) Forecast of the relic offshore permafrost distribution (by the example of East Siberian Seas). Kriolitozona arkticheskogo she’lfa (cryolithozone of the Arctic Shelf) (in Russian), Yakutsk, Inst. Merzlotoved. Sibirsk. Otd. Akad, Nauk SSSR Publisher, pp 28–38

  • Solov’ev VA, Ginsburg GD, Telepnev EV, Mikhalyuk YuN (1987) Kriogeotermiya i gidraty prorodnogo gaza v nerdakh Severnogo Ledovitogo Okeana (Cryogeothermal Measurements and Hydrates of Natural Gases below the Arctic Ocean) (in Russian)

  • Tektonicheskaya karta morei Karskogo i Laptevykh i Severa Sibiri (Tectonic map of the Kara and Laptev Seas and the north of Siberia) (1998) (in Russian) Moscow, Inst. Litosfery okrainnykh i vnutrennikh morei RAN, Leningrad, PGO Sevmorgeologiya, p 127

  • Tipenko GS, Romanovskii NN, Kholodov AL (1999) Simulation of the offshore permafrost and gashydrate stability Zone of: mathematical solution, numerical realization, and preliminary results. Polarforschung 69:229–234

    Google Scholar 

  • Veinbergs IG (1991) Ancient sea coasts of the USSR (peculiarities of distribution, genesis, and alteration stages) (in Russian), Author’s abstract of Doctoral dissertation, Moscow State University., p 49

  • Zhigarev LA (1981) Regularities of the crylithozone formation in the Arctic Basin, Krilitozona arkticheskogo basseina (Cryyolithozone of the Arctic Basin) (in Russian). Yakutsk, Inst. Merzlotovedeniya Sib. Otd. Akad Nauk SSSR Publisher, pp 4–17

  • Zhigarev LA (1997) Okeanicheskaya kriolitozona (Oceanic Cryolithozone) (in Russian). Moscow State University Publisher, Moscow, p 318

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgements

This study was supported by the Russian Foundation for Basic Research (project no. 03-05-64351), the Russian–German program “Laptev Sea System,” funded by the Ministry of Science and Technology, and the NSF (USA) grant no. OP-99 86 826.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Faculty of Geology and Faculty of Mathematic and Mechanic, M.V. Lomonosov Moscow State University, Russia

    N. N. Romanovskii, A. V. Gavrilov, A. A. Eliseeva & G. S. Tipenko

  2. Alfred Wegener Institute for Polar and Marine Research, Telegrafenberg A43, 14473, Potsdam, Germany

    H. -W. Hubberten

  3. Geophysical Institute, University of Alaska, Fairbanks, AK, USA

    G. S. Tipenko

Authors
  1. N. N. Romanovskii
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. H. -W. Hubberten
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. A. V. Gavrilov
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. A. A. Eliseeva
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  5. G. S. Tipenko
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to H. -W. Hubberten.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and Permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Romanovskii, N.N., Hubberten, H.W., Gavrilov, A.V. et al. Offshore permafrost and gas hydrate stability zone on the shelf of East Siberian Seas. Geo-Mar Lett 25, 167–182 (2005). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00367-004-0198-6

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00367-004-0198-6

Keywords

  • Marine Transgression
  • Coastal Lowland
  • Permafrost Temperature
  • Geothermal Flux
  • East Siberian Shelf