I. INTRODUCTION AND OBJECTIVESCARBON RELEASE FROM PERMAFROST REGIONS UPON DEGRADATION IS ONE OF THE GREATEST UNCERTAINTIES FOR PROJECTIONS OF FUTURE CLIMATE. LACK OF KNOWLEDGE ABOUT RATE OF PERMAFROST DEGRADATION ITS SPATIAL VARIATION AND CARBON STORAGE IN THE PERMAFROST REPRESENTS A MAJOR SOURCE OF UNCERTAINTY FOR THE FUTURE CLIMATE PROJECTION. PERMAFROST THAW AND DEGRADATION PROMOTES THE MOBILIZATION OF ORGANIC MATTER WATER AND GREENHOUSE GASES GHG . IT IS OF GREAT SCIENTIFIC INTEREST AND SOCIAL CONCERN TO KNOW WHERE AND TO WHAT EXTENT PERMAFROST DEGRADATION MAY OCCUR ESPECIALLY IN ICE RICH PERMAFROST AS CONSEQUENTIAL SUBSIDENCE BY THAW THERMOKARST WILL CAUSE LARGE CHANGES IN SURFACE ECOLOGY LANDSCAPE EVOLUTION AND HYDROLOGICAL PROCESSES AND WILL ALSO AFFECT LOCAL LIFE AND SUBSISTENCE.OBJECTIVES IN THESE CASE STUDIES ARE TO 1. MEASURE THE SPATIAL VARIATION OF THERMOKARST SUBSIDENCE USING INSAR AND LIDAR DIFFERENCING TECHNIQUES 2. IMPROVE UNCERTAINTY IN THE THERMOKARST QUANTIFICATION BY REMOTE SENSING 3. ESTIMATE GHG AND ORGANIC MATTER CONTENTS IN PERMAFROST INCLUDING IN THE GROUND ICE BODY AND4. EVALUATE THE RATES OF POTENTIAL RELEASE OF CARBON UPON THERMOKARST DEVELOPMENTII. METHODSWE PROPOSE CONDUCTING AN INVESTIGATION TO DETERMINE SUBSIDED VOLUME DUE TO THERMOKARST COMBINING REMOTE SENSING TECHNIQUES AND FIELD SURVEYS. WE WILL EMPLOY A DINSAR DIFFERENTIAL INTERFEROMETRY SYNTHETIC APERTURE RADAR TECHNIQUE USING DATA FROM THE PAST AND NEW NASA AIRBORNE CAMPAIGNS AND L BAND SAR ALOS 2 PALSAR 2 TO MEASURE THE RATE OF THERMOKARST SUBSIDENCE AND ITS SPATIAL VARIATION IN WIDE AREAS OF PERMAFROST REGIONS. ABOVE AIRBORNE OPERATIONS WITH LIDAR AND RADAR OVER TARGETED AREAS ARE EXPECTED TO PROVIDE RANGES OF SEASONAL SURFACE MOVEMENT AND ACTIVE LAYER THICKNESS WHICH ARE CRITICAL INFORMATION TO REDUCE UNCERTAINTY FOR QUANTIFICATION OF INTER ANNUAL SUBSIDENCE DUE TO THERMOKARST DEVELOPMENT. OPTICAL SPACE BORNE SENSORS CAPABLEOF CAPTURING GROUND OBJECTS IN SUB METER SPATIAL RESOLUTION WILL BE USED TO DETECT THERMOKARST DEVELOPMENT THROUGH LAND SURFACE TEXTURE CHANGES. IN SITU HIGH ACCURACY GPS MAPPING UAV TOPOGRAPHICAL SURVEY AND GEOCRYOLOGICAL ANALYSIS SUPPORT THE THERMOKARST MEASUREMENTS BY AIRBORNE AND SATELLITE REMOTE SENSING. WE WILL FURTHER SAMPLE PERMAFROST SEDIMENTS AND GROUND ICE IN THE SELECTED TARGET AREAS TO ANALYZE THE CONCENTRATION OF GREENHOUSE GASES AND THE AMOUNT OF ORGANIC MATTER. DRILL CORE AND SURFACE SOIL SAMPLES WILL BE KEPT FROZEN FOR LABORATORY MEASUREMENT OF GREENHOUSE GAS CONCENTRATION AND VOLUME.III. SIGNIFICANCE OF THE PROPOSED STUDYOUR GOAL IS TO GREATLY INCREASE OUR KNOWLEDGE ABOUT THE CONDITIONS AND DISTURBANCES THAT LEAD TO THERMOKARST AND PERMAFROST THAW IN ARCTIC ICE RICH PERMAFROST REGIONS. THAWING OF PERMAFROST WHETHER BY HUMAN DISTURBANCE FIRE OR CLIMATE CHANGE WILL HAVE DIRECT AND INDIRECT CONSEQUENCES FOR LOCAL SOCIETIES BY WAY OF EFFECTS ON INFRASTRUCTURE CHANGES IN WATER AVAILABILITY AND QUALITY NUTRIENT CYCLES AND HABITAT. IN ADDITION THE POTENTIALLY VERY LARGE RELEASE OF GHG FROM PERMAFROST THAW COULD HAVE CATASTROPHIC CONSEQUENCES FOR THE GLOBAL CLIMATE. WE THEREFORE BELIEVE THIS PROPOSED STUDY WILL NOT ONLY INCREASE OUR SCIENTIFIC UNDERSTANDING OF PERMAFROST DYNAMICS IN THE ARCTIC BUT WILL ALSO GENERATE FURTHER UNDERSTANDING ABOUT ARCTIC ECOSYSTEM CARBON EXCHANGE DYNAMICS THAT ARE OF CRUCIAL IMPORTANCE FOR THE WELL BEING OF ALL SOCIETIES ON EARTH. THIS PROJECT RELATES PARTICULARLY TO THE FUTURE NASA L BAND SAR PROGRAM NISAR AND OUR PROPOSED METHOD FOR QUANTIFICATION OF THERMOKARST IN PERMAFROST REGIONS REPRESENTS A PROMISING APPLICATION OF NISAR WHILE ALSO SERVING AS AN IMPORTANT CARBON MONITORING TASK FOR FUTURE PROJECTS.