%0 Journal Article
%T Underestimated small thermokarst lakes of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau and their carbon emission potential
%A Peng, Xiaoqing
%A Luo, Hengxing
%A Tian, Weiwei
%A Xia, Zhuoxuan
%A Frauenfeld, Oliver W.
%A Mu, Cuicui
%A Liu, Lin
%A Luo, Jing
%A Huang, Lingcao
%A Zhao, Qinshan
%A Yin, Yimiao
%J Global and Planetary Change
%D 2026
%V 261
%@ 0921-8181
%F PENG2026105411
%X One of the consequences of permafrost degradation has been the development of thermokarst lakes, which are potential hotspots for CO2 and CH4 emissions. However, due to data resolution issues, small thermokarst lakes (<500 m2) have traditionally been excluded from regional carbon emission estimates. This study employs a deep learning method combined with high-resolution (3 m) PlanetScope imagery complemented by manual corrections, to produce a new high-accuracy dataset of thermokarst lakes in the permafrost regions of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau (QTP). A total of 329,848 thermokarst lakes were detected, covering an area of approximately 2893 km2. This exceeds existing estimates of identified lakes by 51.4%, thereby uncovering a critical shortcoming in prior thermokarst lake estimates for the permafrost region of the QTP. Based on published CO2 and CH4 flux measurements and our updated thermokarst lake dataset, summer emissions from thermokarst lakes are estimated to be up to 54 Gg CO2 month−1 and 4.50 Gg CH4 month−1. Small lakes exhibit high carbon fluxes and contribute approximately 2–3 times more carbon emissions than expected based on their area, indicating a disproportionate emission response. This study provides a foundational new data product for related cryospheric research and highlights the importance of considering lake area in regional carbon emission estimates.
%K Small thermokarst lakes, Deep learning, High-resolution satellite imagery, Qinghai-Tibet Plateau
%R https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gloplacha.2026.105411
%U https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0921818126001323
%U https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gloplacha.2026.105411
%P 105411