Articles | Volume 12, issue 6
https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-12-1957-2018
© Author(s) 2018. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-12-1957-2018
© Author(s) 2018. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Research article
| 
11 Jun 2018
Research article |
| 11 Jun 2018
| 11 Jun 2018
Microtopographic control on the ground thermal regime in ice wedge polygons
Charles J. Abolt
CORRESPONDING AUTHOR
Department of Geological Sciences, The University of Texas at Austin,
Austin, TX, USA
Bureau of Economic Geology, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin,
TX, USA
Michael H. Young
Bureau of Economic Geology, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin,
TX, USA
Adam L. Atchley
Earth and Environmental Sciences Division, Los Alamos National
Laboratory, Los Alamos, NM, USA
Dylan R. Harp
Earth and Environmental Sciences Division, Los Alamos National
Laboratory, Los Alamos, NM, USA
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36 citations as recorded by crossref.
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- Evidence for fluvial and glacial activities within impact craters that excavated into a Noachian volcanic dome on Mars . Harish et al. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.icarus.2021.114397
- Holocene ice wedge formation in the Eureka Sound Lowlands, high Arctic Canada K. Campbell-Heaton et al. https://doi.org/10.1017/qua.2020.126
- The importance of freeze–thaw cycles for lateral tracer transport in ice-wedge polygons E. Jafarov et al. https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-16-851-2022
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- Spatial heterogeneity of soil organic matter and microbial community composition across ice-wedge polygons and soil layers in Arctic lowland tundra V. Martin et al. https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-23-2761-2026
- Pathways of ice-wedge degradation in polygonal tundra under different hydrological conditions J. Nitzbon et al. https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-13-1089-2019
- Numerical Assessments of Excess Ice Impacts on Permafrost and Greenhouse Gases in a Siberian Tundra Site Under a Warming Climate H. Park et al. https://doi.org/10.3389/feart.2021.704447
- Permafrost degradation in the ice-wedge tundra terrace of Paulatuk Peninsula (Darnley Bay, Canada) R. Tanguy et al. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.geomorph.2023.108754
- Distribution, morphometry, and ice content of ice‐wedge polygons in Tombstone Territorial Park, central Yukon, Canada R. Frappier & D. Lacelle https://doi.org/10.1002/ppp.2123
- Permafrost thermal conditions are sensitive to shifts in snow timing A. Jan & S. Painter https://doi.org/10.1088/1748-9326/ab8ec4
- Impact of Salinity on Ground Ice Distribution Across an Arctic Coastal Polygonal Tundra Environment B. Dafflon et al. https://doi.org/10.1002/ppp.70008
- Feedbacks Between Surface Deformation and Permafrost Degradation in Ice Wedge Polygons, Arctic Coastal Plain, Alaska C. Abolt et al. https://doi.org/10.1029/2019JF005349
- Evaluating integrated surface/subsurface permafrost thermal hydrology models in ATS (v0.88) against observations from a polygonal tundra site A. Jan et al. https://doi.org/10.5194/gmd-13-2259-2020
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- Long‐Term, High‐Resolution Permafrost Monitoring Reveals Coupled Energy Balance and Hydrogeologic Controls on Talik Dynamics Near Umiujaq (Nunavik, Québec, Canada) P. Fortier et al. https://doi.org/10.1029/2022WR032456
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- Impacts of Degrading Ice‐Wedges on Ground Temperatures in a High Arctic Polar Desert System M. Ward Jones et al. https://doi.org/10.1029/2019JF005173
- Modeled (1990–2100) variations in active‐layer thickness and ice‐wedge activity near Salluit, Nunavik (Canada) S. Gagnon & M. Allard https://doi.org/10.1002/ppp.2109
- Excess Ground Ice Profiles in Continuous Permafrost Mapped From InSAR Subsidence S. Zwieback et al. https://doi.org/10.1029/2023WR035331
- Cumulative impacts of a gravel road and climate change in an ice-wedge-polygon landscape, Prudhoe Bay, Alaska D. Walker et al. https://doi.org/10.1139/as-2021-0014
- Extremely wet summer events enhance permafrost thaw for multiple years in Siberian tundra R. Magnússon et al. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-022-29248-x
- Monitoring Ground Surface Deformation of Ice-Wedge Polygon Areas in Saskylakh, NW Yakutia, Using Interferometric Synthetic Aperture Radar (InSAR) and Google Earth Engine (GEE) W. Wang et al. https://doi.org/10.3390/rs15051335
36 citations as recorded by crossref.
- Effects of multi-scale heterogeneity on the simulated evolution of ice-rich permafrost lowlands under a warming climate J. Nitzbon et al. https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-15-1399-2021
- New insights into the drainage of inundated ice-wedge polygons using fundamental hydrologic principles D. Harp et al. https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-15-4005-2021
- Evidence for fluvial and glacial activities within impact craters that excavated into a Noachian volcanic dome on Mars . Harish et al. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.icarus.2021.114397
- Holocene ice wedge formation in the Eureka Sound Lowlands, high Arctic Canada K. Campbell-Heaton et al. https://doi.org/10.1017/qua.2020.126
- The importance of freeze–thaw cycles for lateral tracer transport in ice-wedge polygons E. Jafarov et al. https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-16-851-2022
- Estimation of subsurface porosities and thermal conductivities of polygonal tundra by coupled inversion of electrical resistivity, temperature, and moisture content data E. Jafarov et al. https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-14-77-2020
- Spatial heterogeneity of soil organic matter and microbial community composition across ice-wedge polygons and soil layers in Arctic lowland tundra V. Martin et al. https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-23-2761-2026
- Pathways of ice-wedge degradation in polygonal tundra under different hydrological conditions J. Nitzbon et al. https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-13-1089-2019
- Numerical Assessments of Excess Ice Impacts on Permafrost and Greenhouse Gases in a Siberian Tundra Site Under a Warming Climate H. Park et al. https://doi.org/10.3389/feart.2021.704447
- Permafrost degradation in the ice-wedge tundra terrace of Paulatuk Peninsula (Darnley Bay, Canada) R. Tanguy et al. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.geomorph.2023.108754
- Distribution, morphometry, and ice content of ice‐wedge polygons in Tombstone Territorial Park, central Yukon, Canada R. Frappier & D. Lacelle https://doi.org/10.1002/ppp.2123
- Permafrost thermal conditions are sensitive to shifts in snow timing A. Jan & S. Painter https://doi.org/10.1088/1748-9326/ab8ec4
- Impact of Salinity on Ground Ice Distribution Across an Arctic Coastal Polygonal Tundra Environment B. Dafflon et al. https://doi.org/10.1002/ppp.70008
- Feedbacks Between Surface Deformation and Permafrost Degradation in Ice Wedge Polygons, Arctic Coastal Plain, Alaska C. Abolt et al. https://doi.org/10.1029/2019JF005349
- Evaluating integrated surface/subsurface permafrost thermal hydrology models in ATS (v0.88) against observations from a polygonal tundra site A. Jan et al. https://doi.org/10.5194/gmd-13-2259-2020
- Soil moisture and hydrology projections of the permafrost region – a model intercomparison C. Andresen et al. https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-14-445-2020
- Consequences of permafrost degradation for Arctic infrastructure – bridging the model gap between regional and engineering scales T. Schneider von Deimling et al. https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-15-2451-2021
- Drying of tundra landscapes will limit subsidence-induced acceleration of permafrost thaw S. Painter et al. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2212171120
- Investigating the controls of ice-wedge initiation and growth using XFEM G. Karam et al. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.compgeo.2024.106549
- Assessment of the Ice Wedge Polygon Current State by Means of UAV Imagery Analysis (Samoylov Island, the Lena Delta) A. Kartoziia https://doi.org/10.3390/rs11131627
- Long‐Term, High‐Resolution Permafrost Monitoring Reveals Coupled Energy Balance and Hydrogeologic Controls on Talik Dynamics Near Umiujaq (Nunavik, Québec, Canada) P. Fortier et al. https://doi.org/10.1029/2022WR032456
- Permafrost Promotes Shallow Groundwater Flow and Warmer Headwater Streams Y. Sjöberg et al. https://doi.org/10.1029/2020WR027463
- 20 years of change in tundra NDVI from coupled field and satellite observations K. Huemmrich et al. https://doi.org/10.1088/1748-9326/acee17
- Machine learning for cryospheric mass movements: challenges and pathways T. Pei et al. https://doi.org/10.1038/s44304-026-00206-7
- Identifying the influence of terrestrial–aquatic connectivity on palaeoecological inferences of past climate in Arctic lakes A. Niemeyer et al. https://doi.org/10.1111/bor.12572
- High-resolution mapping of spatial heterogeneity in ice wedge polygon geomorphology near Prudhoe Bay, Alaska C. Abolt & M. Young https://doi.org/10.1038/s41597-020-0423-9
- Fast response of cold ice-rich permafrost in northeast Siberia to a warming climate J. Nitzbon et al. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-020-15725-8
- Heterogeneity in ice-wedge permafrost degradation revealed across spatial scales K. Braun & C. Andresen https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rse.2024.114299
- Long-term analysis of cryoseismic events and associated ground thermal stress in Adventdalen, Svalbard R. Romeyn et al. https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-16-2025-2022
- Mechanistic Modeling of Microtopographic Impacts on CO2 and CH4 Fluxes in an Alaskan Tundra Ecosystem Using the CLM‐Microbe Model Y. Wang et al. https://doi.org/10.1029/2019MS001771
- Impacts of Degrading Ice‐Wedges on Ground Temperatures in a High Arctic Polar Desert System M. Ward Jones et al. https://doi.org/10.1029/2019JF005173
- Modeled (1990–2100) variations in active‐layer thickness and ice‐wedge activity near Salluit, Nunavik (Canada) S. Gagnon & M. Allard https://doi.org/10.1002/ppp.2109
- Excess Ground Ice Profiles in Continuous Permafrost Mapped From InSAR Subsidence S. Zwieback et al. https://doi.org/10.1029/2023WR035331
- Cumulative impacts of a gravel road and climate change in an ice-wedge-polygon landscape, Prudhoe Bay, Alaska D. Walker et al. https://doi.org/10.1139/as-2021-0014
- Extremely wet summer events enhance permafrost thaw for multiple years in Siberian tundra R. Magnússon et al. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-022-29248-x
- Monitoring Ground Surface Deformation of Ice-Wedge Polygon Areas in Saskylakh, NW Yakutia, Using Interferometric Synthetic Aperture Radar (InSAR) and Google Earth Engine (GEE) W. Wang et al. https://doi.org/10.3390/rs15051335
Saved (final revised paper)
Latest update: 09 Jun 2026
Short summary
We investigate the relationship between ice wedge polygon topography and near-surface ground temperature using a combination of field work and numerical modeling. We analyze a year-long record of ground temperature across a low-centered polygon, then demonstrate that lower rims and deeper troughs promote warmer conditions in the ice wedge in winter. This finding implies that ice wedge cracking and growth, which are driven by cold conditions, can be impeded by rim erosion or trough subsidence.
We investigate the relationship between ice wedge polygon topography and near-surface ground...
