The Cryosphere
The Cryosphere
TC
Articles | Volume 13, issue 4
Articles | Volume 13, issue 4
https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-13-1089-2019
© Author(s) 2019. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-13-1089-2019
© Author(s) 2019. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Articles | Volume 13, issue 4
Research article
 | Highlight paper
 | 
04 Apr 2019
Research article | Highlight paper |  | 04 Apr 2019

Pathways of ice-wedge degradation in polygonal tundra under different hydrological conditions

Jan Nitzbon, Moritz Langer, Sebastian Westermann, Léo Martin, Kjetil Schanke Aas, and Julia Boike

Data sets

Measurements in soil and air at Samoylov Station (2002-2018) J. Boike, J. Nitzbon, K. Anders, M. N. Grigoriev, D. Y. Bolshiyanov, M. Langer, S. Lange, N. Bornemann, A. Morgenstern, P. Schreiber, C. Wille, S. Chadburn, I. Gouttevin, and L. Kutzbach, https://doi.org/10.1594/PANGAEA.891142

Model code and software

CryoGrid/CryoGrid3: CryoGrid 3 set-up for ice-wedge polygons J. Nitzbon, M. Langer, S. Westermann, and L. Martin, L.: https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.2601973

Video supplement

Simulation of ice-wedge degradation under intermediate hydrological conditions J. Nitzbon, M. Langer, S. Westermann, L. Martin, K. S. Aas, and J. Boike https://doi.org/10.5446/39651

Simulation of ice-wedge degradation under draining hydrological conditions J. Nitzbon, M. Langer, S. Westermann, L. Martin, K. S. Aas, and J. Boike https://doi.org/10.5446/39652

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Short summary
We studied the stability of ice wedges (massive bodies of ground ice in permafrost) under recent climatic conditions in the Lena River delta of northern Siberia. For this we used a novel modelling approach that takes into account lateral transport of heat, water, and snow and the subsidence of the ground surface due to melting of ground ice. We found that wetter conditions have a destabilizing effect on the ice wedges and associated our simulation results with observations from the study area.
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