Changes in the dynamics and thermal regime of the permafrost and active layer of the high arctic coastal area in north‐west spitsbergen, svalbard

2014 ◽  
Vol 96 (2) ◽  
pp. 227-240 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ireneusz Sobota ◽  
Marcin Nowak
Keyword(s):  
Active Layer ◽  
Thermal Regime ◽  
Coastal Area ◽  
High Arctic ◽  
North West ◽  
West Spitsbergen

The Impact of Snow Accumulation on the Active Layer Thermal Regime in High Arctic Soils

2013 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
pp. vzj2012.0058 ◽  
Author(s):  
Melissa J. Lafrenière ◽  
Emil Laurin ◽  
Scott F. Lamoureux
Keyword(s):  
Active Layer ◽  
Thermal Regime ◽  
High Arctic ◽  
Snow Accumulation ◽  
Arctic Soils ◽  
The Impact

scholarly journals On the Thermal Regime of a High-Arctic Valley Glacier

1976 ◽  
Vol 16 (74) ◽  
pp. 119-133 ◽  
Author(s):  
Fritz Müller
Keyword(s):  
Thermal Regime ◽  
Energy Input ◽  
Canadian Arctic ◽  
High Arctic ◽  
Canadian Arctic Archipelago ◽  
Valley Glacier ◽  
Drilling Technique ◽  
Percolation Zone ◽  
Mean Annual Air Temperature ◽  
Upper Boundary

AbstractThe 10 m temperatures were measured over several years at 16 sites on the White Glacier (lat. 80° N.), Axel Heiberg Island, Canadian Arctic Archipelago. At three sites deep profiles were made using a new drilling technique, reaching a maximum depth of 280 m. Large differences in the 10 m temperatures between locations and from year to year were observed. The deviations of these temperatures from the almost isothermal mean annual air temperature over the glacier are discussed. The heating effect of the melt water in the lower percolation zone was found to be very important. A conceptual model is developed to assess the influence of these irregularities in the energy input at the upper boundary on the thermal regime of the entire glacier. So far a quantitative analysis has been made only for the relatively simple 30 m temperature profile measured on the tongue of the glacier.

An analysis of the stability of thawing slopes, Ellesmere Island, Nunavut, Canada

2000 ◽  
Vol 37 (2) ◽  
pp. 449-462 ◽  
Author(s):  
Charles Harris ◽  
Antoni G Lewkowicz
Keyword(s):  
Shear Strength ◽  
Pore Water ◽  
Active Layer ◽  
Factor Of Safety ◽  
High Arctic ◽  
Ellesmere Island ◽  
Sensitivity Analyses ◽  
Pore Water Pressures ◽  
Hot Weather ◽  
The Stability

Active-layer detachment slides are locally common on Fosheim Peninsula, Ellesmere Island, where permafrost is continuous, the active layer is 0.5-0.75 m thick, and summer temperatures are unusually high in comparison with much of the Canadian High Arctic. In this paper we report pore-water pressures at the base of the active layer, recorded in situ on two slopes in late July and early August 1995. These data form the basis for slope stability analyses based on effective stress conditions. During fieldwork, the factor of safety within an old detachment slide on a slope at Hot Weather Creek was slightly greater than unity. At "Big Slide Creek," on a slope showing no evidence of earlier detachment failures, the factor of safety was less than unity on a steep basal slope section but greater than unity elsewhere. In the upper slope, pore-water pressures were only just subcritical. Sensitivity analyses demonstrate that the stability of the shallow active layer is strongly influenced by changes in soil shear strength. Possible mechanisms for reduction in shear strength through time include weathering of soils and gradual increases in basal active layer ice content. However, we suggest here that soil shearing during annual gelifluction movements is most likely to progressively reduce shear strengths at the base of the active layer from peak values to close to residual, facilitating the triggering of active-layer detachment failures.Key words: detachment slides, Ellesmere Island, pore-water pressures, gelifluction.

Polytechnic of Central London Spitsbergen Manhaul Expedition, 1976

Polar Record ◽  
1977 ◽  
Vol 18 (115) ◽  
pp. 378-378
Author(s):  
Roger Daynes
Keyword(s):  
Field Work ◽  
Botanical Survey ◽  
Fishing Vessel ◽  
Sleep Patterns ◽  
North West ◽  
Far North ◽  
Human Sleep ◽  
West Spitsbergen ◽  
Support Facility

A seven-man party from the Polytechnic of Central London spent from 25 July to 26 August in north-west Spitsbergen. Field work included botanical survey and sampling, recording of human sleep patterns, and the making of a 16 mm colour film. The party had the support facility of a former Scottish fishing vessel, the Copious, which it shared with the Cambridge Spitsbergen Expedition. The group landed in the far north of Vasahalvøya on Makarovbreen. Overland glacier journeys were made from Makarovbreen south to Liefdef jorden and Bockf jorden, and from the lower end of Woodf jorden across to Kongsf jorden via Blomstrandbreen—roughly 160 km in all.

scholarly journals Geophysical imaging of permafrost in the SW Svalbard – the result of two high arctic expeditions to Spitsbergen

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mariusz Majdanski ◽  
Artur Marciniak ◽  
Bartosz Owoc ◽  
Wojciech Dobiński ◽  
Tomasz Wawrzyniak ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Surface Waves ◽  
Active Layer ◽  
High Arctic ◽  
The Arctic ◽  
Seismic Profiles ◽  
Frozen Ground ◽  
Near Surface ◽  
Seismic Processing ◽  
Reflection Seismic ◽  
Sea Coast

<p>The Arctic regions are the place of the fastest observed climate change. One of the indicators of such evolution are changes occurring in the glaciers and the subsurface in the permafrost. The active layer of the permafrost as the shallowest one is well measured by multiple geophysical techniques and in-situ measurements.</p><p>Two high arctic expeditions have been organized to use seismic methods to recognize the shape of the permafrost in two seasons: with the unfrozen ground (October 2017) and frozen ground (April 2018). Two seismic profiles have been designed to visualize the shape of permafrost between the sea coast and the slope of the mountain, and at the front of a retreating glacier. For measurements, a stand-alone seismic stations has been used with accelerated weight drop with in-house modifications and timing system. Seismic profiles were acquired in a time-lapse manner and were supported with GPR and ERT measurements, and continuous temperature monitoring in shallow boreholes.</p><p>Joint interpretation of seismic and auxiliary data using Multichannel analysis of surface waves, First arrival travel-time tomography and Reflection imaging show clear seasonal changes affecting the active layer where P-wave velocities are changing from 3500 to 5200 m/s. This confirms the laboratory measurements showing doubling the seismic velocity of water-filled high-porosity rocks when frozen. The same laboratory study shows significant (>10%) increase of velocity in frozen low porosity rocks, that should be easily visible in seismic.</p><p>In the reflection seismic processing, the most critical part was a detailed front mute to eliminate refracted arrivals spoiling wide-angle near-surface reflections. Those long offset refractions were however used to estimate near-surface velocities further used in reflection processing. In the reflection seismic image, a horizontal reflection was traced at the depth of 120 m at the sea coast deepening to the depth of 300 m near the mountain.</p><p>Additionally, an optimal set of seismic parameters has been established, clearly showing a significantly higher signal to noise ratio in case of frozen ground conditions even with the snow cover. Moreover, logistics in the frozen conditions are much easier and a lack of surface waves recorded in the snow buried geophones makes the seismic processing simpler.</p><p>Acknowledgements               </p><p>This research was funded by the National Science Centre, Poland (NCN) Grant UMO-2015/21/B/ST10/02509.</p>

scholarly journals Active layer thermal regime in two climatically contrasted sites of the Antarctic Peninsula region

2016 ◽  
Vol 42 (2) ◽  
pp. 457 ◽  
Author(s):  
F. Hrbáček ◽  
M. Oliva ◽  
K. Laska ◽  
J. Ruiz-Fernández ◽  
M. A. De Pablo ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Active Layer ◽  
Antarctic Peninsula ◽  
Thermal Regime ◽  
Active Layer Thickness ◽  
Mean Annual Temperature ◽  
Climate Trends ◽  
Ground Temperatures ◽  
Air Temperatures ◽  
Discontinuous Permafrost ◽  
The Antarctic

Permafrost controls geomorphic processes in ice-free areas of the Antarctic Peninsula (AP) region. Future climate trends will promote significant changes of the active layer regime and permafrost distribution, and therefore a better characterization of present-day state is needed. With this purpose, this research focuses on Ulu Peninsula (James Ross Island) and Byers Peninsula (Livingston Island), located in the area of continuous and discontinuous permafrost in the eastern and western sides of the AP, respectively. Air and ground temperatures in as low as 80 cm below surface of the ground were monitored between January and December 2014. There is a high correlation between air temperatures on both sites (r=0.74). The mean annual temperature in Ulu Peninsula was -7.9 ºC, while in Byers Peninsula was -2.6 ºC. The lower air temperatures in Ulu Peninsula are also reflected in ground temperatures, which were between 4.9 (5 cm) and 5.9 ºC (75/80 cm) lower. The maximum active layer thickness observed during the study period was 52 cm in Ulu Peninsula and 85 cm in Byers Peninsula. Besides climate, soil characteristics, topography and snow cover are the main factors controlling the ground thermal regime in both areas.

Thermal regime of soil active layer at the Bolshevik Island (Archipelago Severnaya Zemlya) during 2016 – 2020 years

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alexander Makshtas ◽  
Petr Bogorodski ◽  
Ilya Jozhikov
Keyword(s):  
Heat Flux ◽  
Spatial Variability ◽  
Active Layer ◽  
Thermal Regime ◽  
Soil Layer ◽  
Underlying Surface ◽  
Wave Radiation ◽  
Heat Flux Sensor ◽  
Research Station ◽  
Contact Method

<p>Investigations of active soil layer on the Research station “Ice Base Cape Baranova’’ had been started in February 2016 after installation on the meteorological site sensors of Finnish Meteorological Institute: thermochain with IKES PT00 temperature sensors at depths of 20, 40, 60, 80 and 100 cm, soil heat flux sensor HFP, and two ThetaProbe type ML3 soil moisture sensors. Based on the results of measurements annual cycle of soil temperature changes was revealed with amplitudes 10 - 15 ° C less than the amplitudes of surface air layer temperature (Ta) and especially the temperature of the soil upper surface (Tsrad), in great degree determined by short-wave radiation heating and long-wave radiation cooling. Approximation by linear fittings shows average rates of increase Ta - 0.4°C/year, Тsrad - 0.3°C/year, and temperatures of active soil layer - 0.2°C/year.</p><p>The data on thermal regime of active soil layer and characteristics of energy exchange in atmospheric surface layer make it possible to draw the conclusion about the reason for the abnormally warm state of the upper meter soil layer in summer 2020, despite in March during the whole period under study active soil layer was the warmest in 2017. Comparison in temperatures of the underlying surface and characteristics of surface heat balance during period under study showed that in 2020 the temperature of the soil surface at the end of May for a short time reached the temperature of snow melting. It is happened 25 days earlier than in 2017 as well as other years and led to radical decrease in surface albedo, sharp increase of heat flux to the underlying surface, and increased duration of active soil layer heating.</p><p>Additionally, permafrost thawing studies using a manual contact method were carried out on the special site, organized according to CALM standards. These studies showed significant variety of soil active layer thicknesses in the relatively small area (~0.12 km<sup>2</sup>), which indicates significant spatial variability of microrelief, structure and thermophysical properties of soil, as well as vegetation, typical for Arctic desert. Calculations carried out with version of the well-known thermodynamic Leibenzon model for various parameterizations of vegetation and soil properties partly described peculiarities of spatial variability of observed thawing depths.</p>

scholarly journals Active layer slope disturbances affect seasonality and composition of dissolved nitrogen export from High Arctic headwater catchments

2017 ◽  
Vol 3 (2) ◽  
pp. 429-450 ◽  
Author(s):  
Melissa J. Lafrenière ◽  
Nicole L. Louiseize ◽  
Scott F. Lamoureux
Keyword(s):  
Active Layer ◽  
High Arctic ◽  
Rainfall Runoff ◽  
Headwater Catchments ◽  
Dissolved Nitrogen ◽  
Total Dissolved Nitrogen ◽  
Nitrate Export ◽  
Limiting Nutrient ◽  
Seasonal Discharge ◽  
The Impact

This study investigates the impacts of active layer detachments (ALDs) on nitrogen in seasonal runoff from High Arctic hillslope catchments. We examined dissolved nitrogen in runoff from an undisturbed catchment (Goose (GS)) and one that was disturbed (Ptarmigan (PT)) by ALDs, prior to disturbance (2007) and 5 years after disturbance (2012). The seasonal dynamics of nitrogen species concentrations and fluxes were similar in both catchments in 2007, but the mean seasonal nitrate concentration and mass flux from the disturbed catchment were on the order of 30 times higher relative to the undisturbed catchment in 2012. Stormflow yielded 45% and 60% of the 2012 total dissolved nitrogen flux in GS and PT, respectively, although rainfall runoff provided less than 25% of seasonal discharge. Results support that through the combined effects of increased disturbance and rainfall, climate change stands to significantly enhance the export of nitrate from High Arctic watersheds. This study highlights that the increase in the delivery of nitrate from disturbance is especially pronounced late in the season when downstream productivity and the biological demand for this often limiting nutrient are high. Our results also demonstrate that the impact of ALDs on nitrate export can persist more than 5 years following disturbance.

scholarly journals Observations on the Internal Structure and Origin of Some Flutes in Glacio-Fluvial Sediments, Blomstrandbreen, North-West Spitsbergen

1974 ◽  
Vol 13 (69) ◽  
pp. 393-400 ◽  
Author(s):  
M.A. Paul ◽  
H.E Evans
Keyword(s):  
Internal Structure ◽  
Theoretical Distribution ◽  
Unfrozen Water ◽  
Stress System ◽  
Fluvial Sediments ◽  
Ice Flow ◽  
North West ◽  
West Spitsbergen ◽  
Distribution Of Stresses

AbstractSome flutes which occur on the surface of a series of glacio-fluvial sediments at the margin of Blomstrandbreen, north-west Spitsbergen, are described. A section in one has revealed a complex internal structure, in which originally horizontal beds have been folded into an anticline whose axis is normal to the ice margin, and whose structure is related to the morphology of the flute.Comparison of the observed deformation with the theoretical distribution of stresses around the base of a subglacial tunnel shows that this deformation could have resulted from How under such a stress system. It is considered that these observations support the hypothesis that flutes are formed when unfrozen, water-soaked materials deform subglacially due to the pressure differences which exist in the vicinity of an ice tunnel formed in the lee of some rigid obstruction to ice flow.

scholarly journals Meso-scale variations in diet composition of little auk chicks in north-west Spitsbergen

2017 ◽  
Vol 36 (1) ◽  
pp. 1409585 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rafał Boehnke ◽  
Kaja Balazy ◽  
Dariusz Jakubas ◽  
Katarzyna Wojczulanis-Jakubas ◽  
Katarzyna Błachowiak-Samołyk
Keyword(s):  
Diet Composition ◽  
Little Auk ◽  
North West ◽  
West Spitsbergen ◽  
Meso Scale
Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document