Articles | Volume 16, issue 5
https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-16-2025-2022
© Author(s) 2022. 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-16-2025-2022
© Author(s) 2022. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Research article
| 
25 May 2022
Research article |
| 25 May 2022
| 25 May 2022
Long-term analysis of cryoseismic events and associated ground thermal stress in Adventdalen, Svalbard
Department of Geosciences, UiT The Arctic
University of Norway, 9037 Tromsø, Norway
Alfred Hanssen
Department of Geosciences, UiT The Arctic
University of Norway, 9037 Tromsø, Norway
Andreas Köhler
Department of Geosciences, UiT The Arctic
University of Norway, 9037 Tromsø, Norway
NORSAR, Gunnar Randers vei 15, 2007 Kjeller, Norway
Related authors
Rowan Romeyn, Alfred Hanssen, Bent Ole Ruud, and Tor Arne Johansen
The Cryosphere, 15, 2939–2955, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-15-2939-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-15-2939-2021, 2021
Short summary
Short summary
Air-coupled flexural waves are produced by the interaction between pressure waves in air and bending waves in a floating ice sheet. The frequency of these waves is related to the physical properties of the ice sheet, specifically its thickness and rigidity. We demonstrate the usefulness of air-coupled flexural waves for estimating ice thickness and give a theoretical description of the governing physics that highlights their similarity to related phenomena in other fields.
Rowan Romeyn, Alfred Hanssen, Bent Ole Ruud, Helene Meling Stemland, and Tor Arne Johansen
The Cryosphere, 15, 283–302, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-15-283-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-15-283-2021, 2021
Short summary
Short summary
A series of unusual ground motion signatures were identified in geophone recordings at a frost polygon site in Adventdalen on Svalbard. By analysing where the ground motion originated in time and space, we are able to classify them as cryoseisms, also known as frost quakes, a ground-cracking phenomenon that occurs as a result of freezing processes. The waves travelling through the ground produced by these frost quakes also allow us to measure the structure of the permafrost in the near surface.
Rowan Romeyn, Alfred Hanssen, Bent Ole Ruud, and Tor Arne Johansen
The Cryosphere, 15, 2939–2955, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-15-2939-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-15-2939-2021, 2021
Short summary
Short summary
Air-coupled flexural waves are produced by the interaction between pressure waves in air and bending waves in a floating ice sheet. The frequency of these waves is related to the physical properties of the ice sheet, specifically its thickness and rigidity. We demonstrate the usefulness of air-coupled flexural waves for estimating ice thickness and give a theoretical description of the governing physics that highlights their similarity to related phenomena in other fields.
Rowan Romeyn, Alfred Hanssen, Bent Ole Ruud, Helene Meling Stemland, and Tor Arne Johansen
The Cryosphere, 15, 283–302, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-15-283-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-15-283-2021, 2021
Short summary
Short summary
A series of unusual ground motion signatures were identified in geophone recordings at a frost polygon site in Adventdalen on Svalbard. By analysing where the ground motion originated in time and space, we are able to classify them as cryoseisms, also known as frost quakes, a ground-cracking phenomenon that occurs as a result of freezing processes. The waves travelling through the ground produced by these frost quakes also allow us to measure the structure of the permafrost in the near surface.
Andreas Köhler, Michał Pętlicki, Pierre-Marie Lefeuvre, Giuseppa Buscaino, Christopher Nuth, and Christian Weidle
The Cryosphere, 13, 3117–3137, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-13-3117-2019, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-13-3117-2019, 2019
Short summary
Short summary
Ice loss at the front of glaciers can be observed with high temporal resolution using seismometers. We combine seismic and underwater sound measurements of iceberg calving at Kronebreen, a glacier in Svalbard, with laser scanning of the glacier front. We develop a method to determine calving ice loss directly from seismic and underwater calving signals. This allowed us to quantify the contribution of calving to the total ice loss at the glacier front, which also includes underwater melting.
Andreas Köhler and Christian Weidle
Earth Surf. Dynam., 7, 1–16, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-7-1-2019, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-7-1-2019, 2019
Short summary
Short summary
The uppermost part of permanently frozen ground can thaw during summer and refreeze during winter. We use a method based on naturally generated seismic waves to continuously monitor these changes close to the research settlement of Ny-Ålesund in Svalbard between April and August 2016. Our results reveal some potential pitfalls when interpreting temporal variations in the data. However, we show that a careful data analysis makes this method a very useful tool for long-term permafrost monitoring.
Related subject area
Discipline: Frozen ground | Subject: Frozen Ground
Permafrost saline water and Early to mid-Holocene permafrost aggradation in Svalbard
Environmental spaces for palsas and peat plateaus are disappearing at a circumpolar scale
Post-Little Ice Age rock wall permafrost evolution in Norway
Modelling rock glacier ice content based on InSAR-derived velocity, Khumbu and Lhotse valleys, Nepal
The temperature-dependent shear strength of ice-filled joints in rock mass considering the effect of joint roughness, opening and shear rates
Significant underestimation of peatland permafrost along the Labrador Sea coastline in northern Canada
Estimation of stream water components and residence time in a permafrost catchment in the central Tibetan Plateau using long-term water stable isotopic data
Brief communication: Improving ERA5-Land soil temperature in permafrost regions using an optimized multi-layer snow scheme
Towards accurate quantification of ice content in permafrost of the Central Andes – Part 2: An upscaling strategy of geophysical measurements to the catchment scale at two study sites
Seismic physics-based characterization of permafrost sites using surface waves
Three in one: GPS-IR measurements of ground surface elevation changes, soil moisture, and snow depth at a permafrost site in the northeastern Qinghai–Tibet Plateau
Surface temperatures and their influence on the permafrost thermal regime in high-Arctic rock walls on Svalbard
Consequences of permafrost degradation for Arctic infrastructure – bridging the model gap between regional and engineering scales
Passive seismic recording of cryoseisms in Adventdalen, Svalbard
Projecting circum-Arctic excess-ground-ice melt with a sub-grid representation in the Community Land Model
Ground ice, organic carbon and soluble cations in tundra permafrost soils and sediments near a Laurentide ice divide in the Slave Geological Province, Northwest Territories, Canada
The ERA5-Land soil temperature bias in permafrost regions
Brief Communication: The reliability of gas extraction techniques for analysing CH4 and N2O compositions in gas trapped in permafrost ice wedges
Geochemical signatures of pingo ice and its origin in Grøndalen, west Spitsbergen
Mountain permafrost degradation documented through a network of permanent electrical resistivity tomography sites
Permafrost variability over the Northern Hemisphere based on the MERRA-2 reanalysis
Distinguishing ice-rich and ice-poor permafrost to map ground temperatures and ground ice occurrence in the Swiss Alps
New ground ice maps for Canada using a paleogeographic modelling approach
Origin, burial and preservation of late Pleistocene-age glacier ice in Arctic permafrost (Bylot Island, NU, Canada)
Characteristics and fate of isolated permafrost patches in coastal Labrador, Canada
Rock glaciers in Daxue Shan, south-eastern Tibetan Plateau: an inventory, their distribution, and their environmental controls
Microtopographic control on the ground thermal regime in ice wedge polygons
Dotan Rotem, Vladimir Lyakhovsky, Hanne Hvidtfeldt Christiansen, Yehudit Harlavan, and Yishai Weinstein
The Cryosphere, 17, 3363–3381, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-17-3363-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-17-3363-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
Frozen saline pore water, left over from post-glacial marine ingression, was found in shallow permafrost in a Svalbard fjord valley. This suggests that freezing occurred immediately after marine regression due to isostatic rebound. We conducted top-down freezing simulations, which confirmed that with Early to mid-Holocene temperatures (e.g. −4 °C), freezing could progress down to 20–40 m within 200 years. This, in turn, could inhibit flow through the sediment, therefore preserving saline fluids.
Oona Leppiniemi, Olli Karjalainen, Juha Aalto, Miska Luoto, and Jan Hjort
The Cryosphere, 17, 3157–3176, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-17-3157-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-17-3157-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
For the first time, suitable environments for palsas and peat plateaus were modeled for the whole Northern Hemisphere. The hotspots of occurrences were in northern Europe, western Siberia, and subarctic Canada. Climate change was predicted to cause almost complete loss of the studied landforms by the late century. Our predictions filled knowledge gaps in the distribution of the landforms, and they can be utilized in estimation of the pace and impacts of the climate change over northern regions.
Justyna Czekirda, Bernd Etzelmüller, Sebastian Westermann, Ketil Isaksen, and Florence Magnin
The Cryosphere, 17, 2725–2754, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-17-2725-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-17-2725-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
We assess spatio-temporal permafrost variations in selected rock walls in Norway over the last 120 years. Ground temperature is modelled using the two-dimensional ground heat flux model CryoGrid 2D along nine profiles. Permafrost probably occurs at most sites. All simulations show increasing ground temperature from the 1980s. Our simulations show that rock wall permafrost with a temperature of −1 °C at 20 m depth could thaw at this depth within 50 years.
Yan Hu, Stephan Harrison, Lin Liu, and Joanne Laura Wood
The Cryosphere, 17, 2305–2321, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-17-2305-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-17-2305-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
Rock glaciers are considered to be important freshwater reservoirs in the future climate. However, the amount of ice stored in rock glaciers is poorly quantified. Here we developed an empirical model to estimate ice content in rock the glaciers in the Khumbu and Lhotse valleys, Nepal. The modelling results confirmed the hydrological importance of rock glaciers in the study area. The developed approach shows promise in being applied to permafrost regions to assess water storage of rock glaciers.
Shibing Huang, Haowei Cai, Zekun Xin, and Gang Liu
The Cryosphere, 17, 1205–1223, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-17-1205-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-17-1205-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
In this study, the warming degradation mechanism of ice-filled joints is revealed, and the effect of temperature, normal stress, shear rate and joint opening on the shear strength of rough ice-filled joints is investigated. The shear rupture modes include shear cracking of joint ice and debonding of the ice–rock interface, which is related to the above factors. The bonding strength of the ice–rock interface is larger than the shear strength of joint ice when the temperature is below −1 ℃.
Yifeng Wang, Robert G. Way, Jordan Beer, Anika Forget, Rosamond Tutton, and Meredith C. Purcell
The Cryosphere, 17, 63–78, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-17-63-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-17-63-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
Peatland permafrost in northeastern Canada has been misrepresented by models, leading to significant underestimates of peatland permafrost and permafrost distribution along the Labrador Sea coastline. Our multi-stage, multi-mapper, consensus-based inventorying process, supported by field- and imagery-based validation efforts, identifies peatland permafrost complexes all along the coast. The highest density of complexes is found to the south of the current sporadic discontinuous permafrost limit.
Shaoyong Wang, Xiaobo He, Shichang Kang, Hui Fu, and Xiaofeng Hong
The Cryosphere, 16, 5023–5040, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-16-5023-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-16-5023-2022, 2022
Short summary
Short summary
This study used the sine-wave exponential model and long-term water stable isotopic data to estimate water mean residence time (MRT) and its influencing factors in a high-altitude permafrost catchment (5300 m a.s.l.) in the central Tibetan Plateau (TP). MRT for stream and supra-permafrost water was estimated at 100 and 255 d, respectively. Climate and vegetation factors affected the MRT of stream and supra-permafrost water mainly by changing the thickness of the permafrost active layer.
Bin Cao, Gabriele Arduini, and Ervin Zsoter
The Cryosphere, 16, 2701–2708, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-16-2701-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-16-2701-2022, 2022
Short summary
Short summary
We implemented a new multi-layer snow scheme in the land surface scheme of ERA5-Land with revised snow densification parameterizations. The revised HTESSEL improved the representation of soil temperature in permafrost regions compared to ERA5-Land; in particular, warm bias in winter was significantly reduced, and the resulting modeled near-surface permafrost extent was improved.
Tamara Mathys, Christin Hilbich, Lukas U. Arenson, Pablo A. Wainstein, and Christian Hauck
The Cryosphere, 16, 2595–2615, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-16-2595-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-16-2595-2022, 2022
Short summary
Short summary
With ongoing climate change, there is a pressing need to understand how much water is stored as ground ice in permafrost. Still, field-based data on permafrost in the Andes are scarce, resulting in large uncertainties regarding ground ice volumes and their hydrological role. We introduce an upscaling methodology of geophysical-based ground ice quantifications at the catchment scale. Our results indicate that substantial ground ice volumes may also be present in areas without rock glaciers.
Hongwei Liu, Pooneh Maghoul, and Ahmed Shalaby
The Cryosphere, 16, 1157–1180, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-16-1157-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-16-1157-2022, 2022
Short summary
Short summary
The knowledge of physical and mechanical properties of permafrost and its location is critical for the management of permafrost-related geohazards. Here, we developed a hybrid inverse and multiphase poromechanical approach to quantitatively estimate the physical and mechanical properties of a permafrost site. Our study demonstrates the potential of surface wave techniques coupled with our proposed data-processing algorithm to characterize a permafrost site more accurately.
Jiahua Zhang, Lin Liu, Lei Su, and Tao Che
The Cryosphere, 15, 3021–3033, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-15-3021-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-15-3021-2021, 2021
Short summary
Short summary
We improve the commonly used GPS-IR algorithm for estimating surface soil moisture in permafrost areas, which does not consider the bias introduced by seasonal surface vertical movement. We propose a three-in-one framework to integrate the GPS-IR observations of surface elevation changes, soil moisture, and snow depth at one site and illustrate it by using a GPS site in the Qinghai–Tibet Plateau. This study is the first to use GPS-IR to measure environmental variables in the Tibetan Plateau.
Juditha Undine Schmidt, Bernd Etzelmüller, Thomas Vikhamar Schuler, Florence Magnin, Julia Boike, Moritz Langer, and Sebastian Westermann
The Cryosphere, 15, 2491–2509, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-15-2491-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-15-2491-2021, 2021
Short summary
Short summary
This study presents rock surface temperatures (RSTs) of steep high-Arctic rock walls on Svalbard from 2016 to 2020. The field data show that coastal cliffs are characterized by warmer RSTs than inland locations during winter seasons. By running model simulations, we analyze factors leading to that effect, calculate the surface energy balance and simulate different future scenarios. Both field data and model results can contribute to a further understanding of RST in high-Arctic rock walls.
Thomas Schneider von Deimling, Hanna Lee, Thomas Ingeman-Nielsen, Sebastian Westermann, Vladimir Romanovsky, Scott Lamoureux, Donald A. Walker, Sarah Chadburn, Erin Trochim, Lei Cai, Jan Nitzbon, Stephan Jacobi, and Moritz Langer
The Cryosphere, 15, 2451–2471, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-15-2451-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-15-2451-2021, 2021
Short summary
Short summary
Climate warming puts infrastructure built on permafrost at risk of failure. There is a growing need for appropriate model-based risk assessments. Here we present a modelling study and show an exemplary case of how a gravel road in a cold permafrost environment in Alaska might suffer from degrading permafrost under a scenario of intense climate warming. We use this case study to discuss the broader-scale applicability of our model for simulating future Arctic infrastructure failure.
Rowan Romeyn, Alfred Hanssen, Bent Ole Ruud, Helene Meling Stemland, and Tor Arne Johansen
The Cryosphere, 15, 283–302, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-15-283-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-15-283-2021, 2021
Short summary
Short summary
A series of unusual ground motion signatures were identified in geophone recordings at a frost polygon site in Adventdalen on Svalbard. By analysing where the ground motion originated in time and space, we are able to classify them as cryoseisms, also known as frost quakes, a ground-cracking phenomenon that occurs as a result of freezing processes. The waves travelling through the ground produced by these frost quakes also allow us to measure the structure of the permafrost in the near surface.
Lei Cai, Hanna Lee, Kjetil Schanke Aas, and Sebastian Westermann
The Cryosphere, 14, 4611–4626, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-14-4611-2020, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-14-4611-2020, 2020
Short summary
Short summary
A sub-grid representation of excess ground ice in the Community Land Model (CLM) is developed as novel progress in modeling permafrost thaw and its impacts under the warming climate. The modeled permafrost degradation with sub-grid excess ice follows the pathway that continuous permafrost transforms into discontinuous permafrost before it disappears, including surface subsidence and talik formation, which are highly permafrost-relevant landscape changes excluded from most land models.
Rupesh Subedi, Steven V. Kokelj, and Stephan Gruber
The Cryosphere, 14, 4341–4364, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-14-4341-2020, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-14-4341-2020, 2020
Short summary
Short summary
Permafrost beneath tundra near Lac de Gras (Northwest Territories, Canada) contains more ice and less organic carbon than shown in global compilations. Excess-ice content of 20–60 %, likely remnant Laurentide basal ice, is found in upland till. This study is based on 24 boreholes up to 10 m deep. Findings highlight geology and glacial legacy as determinants of a mosaic of permafrost characteristics with potential for thaw subsidence up to several metres in some locations.
Bin Cao, Stephan Gruber, Donghai Zheng, and Xin Li
The Cryosphere, 14, 2581–2595, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-14-2581-2020, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-14-2581-2020, 2020
Short summary
Short summary
This study reports that ERA5-Land (ERA5L) soil temperature bias in permafrost regions correlates with the bias in air temperature and with maximum snow height. While global reanalyses are important drivers for permafrost study, ERA5L soil data are not well suited for directly informing permafrost research decision making due to their warm bias in winter. To address this, future soil temperature products in reanalyses will require permafrost-specific alterations to their land surface models.
Ji-Woong Yang, Jinho Ahn, Go Iwahana, Sangyoung Han, Kyungmin Kim, and Alexander Fedorov
The Cryosphere, 14, 1311–1324, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-14-1311-2020, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-14-1311-2020, 2020
Short summary
Short summary
Thawing permafrost may lead to decomposition of soil carbon and nitrogen and emission of greenhouse gases. Thus, methane and nitrous oxide compositions in ground ice may provide information on their production mechanisms in permafrost. We test conventional wet and dry extraction methods. We find that both methods extract gas from the easily extractable parts of the ice and yield similar results for mixing ratios. However, both techniques are unable to fully extract gas from the ice.
Nikita Demidov, Sebastian Wetterich, Sergey Verkulich, Aleksey Ekaykin, Hanno Meyer, Mikhail Anisimov, Lutz Schirrmeister, Vasily Demidov, and Andrew J. Hodson
The Cryosphere, 13, 3155–3169, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-13-3155-2019, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-13-3155-2019, 2019
Short summary
Short summary
As Norwegian geologist Liestøl (1996) recognised,
in connection with formation of pingos there are a great many unsolved questions. Drillings and temperature measurements through the pingo mound and also through the surrounding permafrost are needed before the problems can be better understood. To shed light on pingo formation here we present the results of first drilling of pingo on Spitsbergen together with results of detailed hydrochemical and stable-isotope studies of massive-ice samples.
Coline Mollaret, Christin Hilbich, Cécile Pellet, Adrian Flores-Orozco, Reynald Delaloye, and Christian Hauck
The Cryosphere, 13, 2557–2578, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-13-2557-2019, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-13-2557-2019, 2019
Short summary
Short summary
We present a long-term multisite electrical resistivity tomography monitoring network (more than 1000 datasets recorded from six mountain permafrost sites). Despite harsh and remote measurement conditions, the datasets are of good quality and show consistent spatio-temporal variations yielding significant added value to point-scale borehole information. Observed long-term trends are similar for all permafrost sites, showing ongoing permafrost thaw and ground ice loss due to climatic conditions.
Jing Tao, Randal D. Koster, Rolf H. Reichle, Barton A. Forman, Yuan Xue, Richard H. Chen, and Mahta Moghaddam
The Cryosphere, 13, 2087–2110, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-13-2087-2019, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-13-2087-2019, 2019
Short summary
Short summary
The active layer thickness (ALT) in middle-to-high northern latitudes from 1980 to 2017 was produced at 81 km2 resolution by a global land surface model (NASA's CLSM) with forcing fields from a reanalysis data set, MERRA-2. The simulated permafrost distribution and ALTs agree reasonably well with an observation-based map and in situ measurements, respectively. The accumulated above-freezing air temperature and maximum snow water equivalent explain most of the year-to-year variability of ALT.
Robert Kenner, Jeannette Noetzli, Martin Hoelzle, Hugo Raetzo, and Marcia Phillips
The Cryosphere, 13, 1925–1941, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-13-1925-2019, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-13-1925-2019, 2019
Short summary
Short summary
A new permafrost mapping method distinguishes between ice-poor and ice-rich permafrost. The approach was tested for the entire Swiss Alps and highlights the dominating influence of the factors elevation and solar radiation on the distribution of ice-poor permafrost. Our method enabled the indication of mean annual ground temperatures and the cartographic representation of permafrost-free belts, which are bounded above by ice-poor permafrost and below by permafrost-containing excess ice.
H. Brendan O'Neill, Stephen A. Wolfe, and Caroline Duchesne
The Cryosphere, 13, 753–773, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-13-753-2019, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-13-753-2019, 2019
Short summary
Short summary
In this paper, we present new models to depict ground ice in permafrost in Canada, incorporating knowledge from recent studies. The model outputs we present reproduce observed regional ground ice conditions and are generally comparable with previous mapping. However, our results are more detailed and more accurately reflect ground ice conditions in many regions. The new mapping is an important step toward understanding terrain response to permafrost degradation in Canada.
Stephanie Coulombe, Daniel Fortier, Denis Lacelle, Mikhail Kanevskiy, and Yuri Shur
The Cryosphere, 13, 97–111, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-13-97-2019, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-13-97-2019, 2019
Short summary
Short summary
This study provides a detailed description of relict glacier ice preserved in the permafrost of Bylot Island (Nunavut). We demonstrate that the 18O composition (-34.0 0.4 ‰) of the ice is consistent with the late Pleistocene age ice in the Barnes Ice Cap. As most of the glaciated Arctic landscapes are still strongly determined by their glacial legacy, the melting of these large ice bodies could have significant impacts on permafrost geosystem landscape dynamics and ecosystems.
Robert G. Way, Antoni G. Lewkowicz, and Yu Zhang
The Cryosphere, 12, 2667–2688, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-12-2667-2018, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-12-2667-2018, 2018
Short summary
Short summary
Isolated patches of permafrost in southeast Labrador are among the southernmost lowland permafrost features in Canada. Local characteristics at six sites were investigated from Cartwright, NL (~ 54° N) to Blanc-Sablon, QC (~ 51° N). Annual ground temperatures varied from −0.7 °C to −2.3 °C with permafrost thicknesses of 1.7–12 m. Ground temperatures modelled for two sites showed permafrost disappearing at the southern site by 2060 and persistence beyond 2100 at the northern site only for RCP2.6.
Zeze Ran and Gengnian Liu
The Cryosphere, 12, 2327–2340, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-12-2327-2018, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-12-2327-2018, 2018
Short summary
Short summary
This article provides the first rock glacier inventory of Daxue Shan, south- eastern Tibetan Plateau. This study provides important data for exploring the relation between maritime periglacial environments and the development of rock glaciers on the south-eastern Tibetan Plateau (TP). It may also highlight the characteristics typical of rock glaciers found in a maritime setting.
Charles J. Abolt, Michael H. Young, Adam L. Atchley, and Dylan R. Harp
The Cryosphere, 12, 1957–1968, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-12-1957-2018, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-12-1957-2018, 2018
Short summary
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.
Cited articles
Abolt, C. J., Young, M. H., Atchley, A. L., and Harp, D. R.: Microtopographic control on the ground thermal regime in ice wedge polygons, The Cryosphere, 12, 1957–1968, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-12-1957-2018, 2018.
Albaric, J., Kühn, D., Ohrnberger, M., Langet, N., Harris, D., Polom,
U., Lecomte, I., and Hillers, G.: Seismic monitoring of permafrost in
Svalbard, Arctic Norway, Seismol. Soc. Am., 92, 2891–2904,
2021.
Allen, R.: Automatic phase pickers: Their present use and future prospects,
B. Seismol. Soc. Am., 72, S225–S242, 1982.
Badache, M., Eslami-Nejad, P., Ouzzane, M., Aidoun, Z., and Lamarche, L.: A
new modeling approach for improved ground temperature profile determination,
Renew. Energ., 85, 436–444, 2016.
Barosh, P. J.: Frostquakes in New England, Eng. Geol., 56, 389–394,
2000.
Battaglia, S. M., Changnon, D., Changnon, D., and Hall, D.: Frost quake
events and changing wintertime air mass frequencies in southeastern Canada,
Working Paper, Northern Illinois University, https://doi.org/10.13140/RG.2.2.22351.48803, 2016.
Bednorz, E.: Occurrence of winter air temperature extremes in Central
Spitsbergen, Theor. Appl. Climatol., 106, 547–556, 2011.
Behn, M. D., Goldsby, D. L., and Hirth, G.: The role of grain size evolution in the rheology of ice: implications for reconciling laboratory creep data and the Glen flow law, The Cryosphere, 15, 4589–4605, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-15-4589-2021, 2021.
Bingham, E. C.: Fluidity and plasticity, McGraw-Hill, Inc. New York, 440 pp., ISBN-10 1125462892, 1922.
Black, R. F.: Periglacial features indicative of permafrost: ice and soil
wedges, Quaternary Res., 6, 3–26, 1976.
Butkovich, T.: Thermal expansion of ice, J. Appl. Phys., 30,
350–353, 1959.
Cable, S., Elberling, B., and Kroon, A.: Holocene permafrost history and
cryostratigraphy in the High-Arctic Adventdalen Valley, central Svalbard,
Boreas, 47, 423–442, 2018.
Carreau, P. J.: Rheological equations from molecular network theories,
T. Soc. Rheol., 16, 99–127, 1972.
Chen, J., Wu, Y., O'Connor, M., Cardenas, M. B., Schaefer, K., Michaelides,
R., and Kling, G.: Active layer freeze-thaw and water storage dynamics in
permafrost environments inferred from InSAR, Remote Sens. Environ.,
248, 112007, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rse.2020.112007, 2020.
Chmiel, M., Roux, P., and Bardainne, T.: Extraction of phase and group
velocities from ambient surface noise in a patch-array configuration,
Geophysics, 81, KS231–KS240, 2016.
Christiansen, H. H., Matsuoka, N., and Watanabe, T.: Progress in
understanding the dynamics, internal structure and palaeoenvironmental
potential of ice wedges and sand wedges,
Permafrost Periglac., 27, 365–376, 2016.
Christiansen, H. H., Gilbert, G., Demidov, N., Guglielmin, M., Isaksen, K.,
Osuch, M., and Boike, J.: Permafrost temperatures and active layer thickness
in Svalbard during 2017/2018 (PermaSval), SESS Report 2019, The State of
Environmental Science in Svalbard, https://epic.awi.de/id/eprint/50889/ (21 September 2021), 2020.
Cros, E., Roux, P., Vandemeulebrouck, J., and Kedar, S.: Locating
hydrothermal acoustic sources at Old Faithful Geyser using matched field
processing, Geophys. J. Int., 187, 385–393, 2011.
Currier, J. and Schulson, E.: The tensile strength of ice as a function of
grain size, Acta Metall. Mater., 30, 1511–1514, 1982.
Darrow, M. M., Gyswyt, N. L., Simpson, J. M., Daanen, R. P., and Hubbard, T. D.: Frozen debris lobe morphology and movement: an overview of eight dynamic features, southern Brooks Range, Alaska, The Cryosphere, 10, 977–993, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-10-977-2016, 2016.
DiMillio, A. F.: A quarter century of geotechnical research, Turner-Fairbank
Highway Research Center, Report Number: FHWA-RD-98-139,
https://rosap.ntl.bts.gov/view/dot/38360 (24 September 2021), 1999.
Dobler, A., Førland, E., and Isaksen, K.: Present and future heavy
rainfall statistics for Svalbard–Background-report for Climate in Svalbard
2100, Norwegian Center for Climate Services (NCCS) report, ISSN 2387-3027, 2019.
Dormand, J. R. and Prince, P. J.: A family of embedded Runge-Kutta formulae,
J. Comput. Appl. Math., 6, 19–26, 1980.
Draebing, D. and Krautblatter, M.: P-wave velocity changes in freezing hard low-porosity rocks: a laboratory-based time-average model, The Cryosphere, 6, 1163–1174, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-6-1163-2012, 2012.
Dypvik, H., Nagy, J., Eikeland, T., Backer-Owe, K., and Johansen, H.:
Depositional conditions of the Bathonian to Hauterivian Janusfjellet
subgroup, Spitsbergen, Sediment. Geol., 72, 55–78, 1991.
French, H. M.: The periglacial environment, John Wiley & Sons, ISBN 978-1-119-13278-3, 2017.
Gibbons, S. J. and Ringdal, F.: The detection of low magnitude seismic
events using array-based waveform correlation, Geophys. J. Int., 165, 149–166, 2006.
Gibbons, S. J., Schweitzer, J., Ringdal, F., Kværna, T., Mykkeltveit,
S., and Paulsen, B.: Improvements to seismic monitoring of the European
Arctic using three-component array processing at SPITS, B.
Seismol. Soc. Am., 101, 2737–2754, 2011.
Glen, J. W.: The creep of polycrystalline ice, P. Roy.
Soc. Lond. A Mat., 228,
519–538, 1955.
Hales, T. and Roering, J.: Climatic controls on frost cracking and
implications for the evolution of bedrock landscapes, J. Geophys.
Res.-Earth, 112, F02033, https://doi.org/10.1029/2006JF000616, 2007.
Hales, T. and Roering, J.: A frost “buzzsaw” mechanism for erosion of the
eastern Southern Alps, New Zealand, Geomorphology, 107, 241–253, 2009.
Hallet, B., Walder, J., and Stubbs, C.: Weathering by segregation ice growth
in microcracks at sustained subzero temperatures: Verification from an
experimental study using acoustic emissions, Permafrost Periglac., 2, 283–300, 1991.
Hanssen, A.: Multidimensional multitaper spectral estimation, Signal Processing, 58, 327–332, https://doi.org/10.1016/S0165-1684(97)00076-5, 1997.
Hanssen, R. F.: Radar interferometry: data interpretation and error
analysis, Springer Science & Business Media, ISBN-13 978-0792369455, 2001.
Harley, J. B. and Moura, J. M.: Data-driven matched field processing for
Lamb wave structural health monitoring,
J. Acoust. Soc. Am., 135, 1231–1244, 2014.
Herschel, W.: Measurement of consistency of rubber-benzene solutions,
Kolloid Z., 39, 291–298, 1926.
Hu, X.-D., Wang, J.-T., and Yu, R.-Z.: Uniaxial compressive and splitting
tensile tests of artificially frozen soils in tunnel construction of Hong
Kong, Journal of Shanghai Jiaotong University (Science), 18, 688–692, 2013.
Isaksen, K., Mühll, D. V., Gubler, H., Kohl, T., and Sollid, J. L.:
Ground surface-temperature reconstruction based on data from a deep borehole
in permafrost at Janssonhaugen, Svalbard, Ann. Glaciol., 31, 287–294, 2000.
Isaksen, K., Holmlund, P., Sollid, J. L., and Harris, C.: Three deep
alpine-permafrost boreholes in Svalbard and Scandinavia, Permafrost Periglac., 12, 13–25, 2001.
Istomin, A. and Nazarov, T.: Numerical studies of reinforced concrete pile
foundations on permafrost soils at low climatic temperatures, Journal of Physics: Conference Series, 1425, Modelling and Methods of Structural Analysis, 13–15 November 2019, Moscow, Russian Federation, 012082, https://doi.org/10.1088/1742-6596/1425/1/012082, 2019.
Kell, G.: Precise representation of volume properties of water at one
atmosphere, J. Chem. Eng. data, 12, 66–69, 1967.
Köhler, A., Nuth, C., Schweitzer, J., Weidle, C., and Gibbons, S. J.:
Regional passive seismic monitoring reveals dynamic glacier activity on
Spitsbergen, Svalbard, Polar Res., 34, 26178, https://doi.org/10.3402/polar.v34.26178, 2015.
Lachenbruch, A. H.: Mechanics of thermal contraction cracks and ice-wedge
polygons in permafrost, Geological Society of America, The Waverly Press, Baltimore, Maryland, USA, ASIN B0010IEDFE1962, 1962.
Lacroix, A. V.: A short note on cryoseisms, Earthquake Notes, 51, 15–21,
1980.
Landau, L. and Lifshitz, E.: Theory of Elasticity, 2nd Edn., Pergamon
Press, Oxford, ISBN10 0080064655, 1970.
Leung, A. C., Gough, W. A., and Shi, Y.: Identifying frostquakes in Central
Canada and neighbouring regions in the United States with social media, in:
Citizen Empowered Mapping, Springer, https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-51629-5_9, 2017.
Liu, L., Rouyet, L., Strozzi, T., Lauknes, T. R., and Christiansen, H. H.:
Seasonal Thaw Settlement and Frost Heave in Permafrost Regions in the
Arctic: A Synthesis of InSAR Observations Using Sentinel-1 SAR Images, GC31B-05, AGU Fall Meeting 2018, 10–14 December 2018, Washington DC, USA, Bibcode 2018AGUFMGC31B..05L, 2018.
Mackay, J. R.: The direction of ice-wedge cracking in permafrost: downward
or upward?, Can. J. Earth Sci., 21, 516–524, 1984.
Maloof, A. C., Kellogg, J. B., and Anders, A. M.: Neoproterozoic sand
wedges: crack formation in frozen soils under diurnal forcing during a
snowball Earth, Earth Planet. Sc. Lett., 204, 1–15, 2002.
Matsuoka, N.: Solifluction rates, processes and landforms: a global review,
Earth-Sci. Rev., 55, 107–134, 2001.
Matsuoka, N.: A multi-method monitoring of timing, magnitude and origin of
rockfall activity in the Japanese Alps, Geomorphology, 336, 65–76, 2019.
Matsuoka, N., Sawaguchi, S.-I., and Yoshikawa, K.: Present-day periglacial
environments in central Spitsbergen, Svalbard, Geographical Review of Japan,
77, 276–300, 2004.
Matsuoka, N., Christiansen, H. H., and Watanabe, T.: Ice-wedge polygon
dynamics in Svalbard: Lessons from a decade of automated multi-sensor
monitoring, Permafrost Periglac., 29, 210–227, 2018.
Mellon, M. T.: Small-scale polygonal features on Mars: Seasonal thermal
contraction cracks in permafrost, J. Geophys. Res.-Planets,
102, 25617–25628, 1997.
Michalopoulou, Z. H.: Robust multi-tonal matched-field inversion: A coherent
approach, J. Acoust. Soc. Am., 104, 163–170,
1998.
Murton, J. B., Peterson, R., and Ozouf, J.-C.: Bedrock fracture by ice
segregation in cold regions, Science, 314, 1127–1129, 2006.
Nikonov, A.: Frost quakes as a particular class of seismic events:
Observations within the East-European platform, Izvestiya,
Physics of the Solid Earth, 46, 257–273, 2010.
Norwegian Centre for Climate Services: Seklima: Observations and weather statistics, Norwegian Centre for Climate Services [data set], https://seklima.met.no/, last access: 14 January 2022.
Okkonen, J., Neupauer, R., Kozlovskaya, E., Afonin, N., Moisio, K., Taewook,
K., and Muurinen, E.: Frost Quakes: Crack Formation by Thermal Stress,
J. Geophys. Res.-Earth, 125, e2020JF005616, https://doi.org/10.1029/2020JF005616, 2020.
Peppin, S. S. and Style, R. W.: The physics of frost heave and ice-lens
growth, Vadose Zone J., 12, vzj2012.0049,
https://doi.org/10.2136/vzj2012.0049, 2013.
Petrovic, J. J.: Review Mechanical properties of ice and snow, J.
Mater. Sci., 38, 1–6, 2003.
Plug, L. J. and Werner, B. T.: Nonlinear dynamics of ice-wedge networks and
resulting sensitivity to severe cooling events, Nature, 417, 929–933, 2002.
Podolskiy, E. A., Fujita, K., Sunako, S., and Sato, Y.: Viscoelastic
Modeling of Nocturnal Thermal Fracturing in a Himalayan Debris-Covered
Glacier, J. Geophys. Res.-Earth, 124, 1485–1515,
2019.
Price, L. W.: The developmental cycle of solifluction lobes,
Ann. Assoc. Am. Geogr., 64, 430–438, 1974.
Przybylak, R., Araźny, A., Nordli, Ø., Finkelnburg, R., Kejna, M.,
Budzik, T., Migała, K., Sikora, S., Puczko, D., Rymer, K., and Rachlewicz,
G.: Spatial distribution of air temperature on Svalbard during 1 year with
campaign measurements, Int. J. Climatol., 34, 3702–3719,
2014.
Rabiner, L. R., Schafer, R. W., and Rader, C. M.: The chirp z-transform
algorithm and its application, Bell Syst. Tech. J., 48, 1249–1292,
1969.
Rankinen, K., Karvonen, T., and Butterfield, D.: A simple model for predicting soil temperature in snow-covered and seasonally frozen soil: model description and testing, Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 8, 706–716, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-8-706-2004, 2004.
Rempel, A. W.: Frost heave, J. Glaciol., 56, 1122–1128, 2010.
Romeyn, R., Hanssen, A., Ruud, B. O., Stemland, H. M., and Johansen, T. A.: Passive seismic recording of cryoseisms in Adventdalen, Svalbard, The Cryosphere, 15, 283–302, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-15-283-2021, 2021.
Rosen, P. A., Hensley, S., Joughin, I. R., Li, F. K., Madsen, S. N.,
Rodriguez, E., and Goldstein, R. M.: Synthetic aperture radar
interferometry, P. IEEE, 88, 333–382, 2000.
Rouyet, L., Lauknes, T. R., Christiansen, H. H., Strand, S. M., and Larsen,
Y.: Seasonal dynamics of a permafrost landscape, Adventdalen, Svalbard,
investigated by InSAR, Remote Sens. Environ., 231, 111236, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rse.2019.111236, 2019.
Rouyet, L., Liu, L., Strand, S. M., Christiansen, H. H., Lauknes, T. R., and
Larsen, Y.: Seasonal InSAR Displacements Documenting the Active Layer Freeze
and Thaw Progression in Central-Western Spitsbergen, Svalbard, Remote
Sens., 13, 2977, https://doi.org/10.3390/rs13152977, 2021.
Saramito, P.: A new constitutive equation for elastoviscoplastic fluid
flows, J. Non-Newton. Fluid, 145, 1–14, 2007.
Scherler, D.: Climatic limits to headwall retreat in the Khumbu Himalaya,
eastern Nepal, Geology, 42, 1019–1022, 2014.
Schulson, E. M. and Duval, P.: Creep and fracture of ice, Cambridge
university press, https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9780511581397, 2009.
Schweitzer, J., Köhler, A., and Christensen, J. M.: Development of the
NORSAR Network over the Last 50 Yr, Seismol. Soc. Am., 92,
1501–1511, 2021.
Sergeant, A., Chmiel, M., Lindner, F., Walter, F., Roux, P., Chaput, J., Gimbert, F., and Mordret, A.: On the Green's function emergence from interferometry of seismic wave fields generated in high-melt glaciers: implications for passive imaging and monitoring, The Cryosphere, 14, 1139–1171, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-14-1139-2020, 2020.
Serreze, M. C. and Stroeve, J.: Arctic sea ice trends, variability and
implications for seasonal ice forecasting, Philosophical Transactions of the
Royal Society A: Mathematical, Physical and Engineering Sciences, 373,
20140159, https://doi.org/10.1098/rsta.2014.0159 2015.
Sørbel, L. and Tolgensbakk, J.: Ice-wedge polygons and solifluction in
the Adventdalen area, Spitsbergen, Svalbard,
Norsk Geogr. Tidsskr., 56, 62–66, 2002.
Timoshenko, S. and Goodier, J.: Theory of Elasticity, McGraw-Hill book
Company, 2nd Edn., New York, ISBN10 0070647194, 1951.
Timur, A.: Velocity of compressional waves in porous media at permafrost
temperatures, Geophysics, 33, 584–595, 1968.
Tolgensbakk, J., Sørbel, L., and Høgvard, K.: Adventdalen,
Geomorphological and Quaternary Geological map, Svalbard 1:100,000,
Spitsbergen sheet C9Q, Norwegian Polar Institute, https://data.npolar.no/publication/e4188b9f-e773-4435-ab71-259ddaf594df (27 January 2022), 2000.
Trnkoczy, A.: Understanding and parameter setting of STA/LTA trigger
algorithm, in: New Manual of Seismological Observatory Practice (NMSOP),
Deutsches GeoForschungsZentrum GFZ, ISBN 3980878007, 2009.
University of Bergen: UIB-NORSAR EIDA node, NORSAR, European Integrated Data Archive (EIDA) [data set], https://eida.geo.uib.no/, last access:
7 September 2021.
Wahr, J., Liu, L., and Zhang, T.: InSAR measurements of ground surface
deformation due to thaw settlement and frost heave over permafrost on the
North Slope of Alaska, AGU Fall Meeting Abstracts, 15–19 December 2008, San Francisco, USA, Bibcode 2008AGUFM.C13B..02W, C13B-02, 2008.
Walder, J. and Hallet, B.: A theoretical model of the fracture of rock
during freezing, Geol. Soc. Am. Bull., 96, 336–346, 1985.
Walter, F., Roux, P., Roeoesli, C., Lecointre, A., Kilb, D., and Roux,
P.-F.: Using glacier seismicity for phase velocity measurements and Green's
function retrieval, Geophys. J. Int., 201, 1722–1737, 2015.
Weber, S., Beutel, J., Faillettaz, J., Hasler, A., Krautblatter, M., and Vieli, A.: Quantifying irreversible movement in steep, fractured bedrock permafrost on Matterhorn (CH), The Cryosphere, 11, 567–583, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-11-567-2017, 2017.
Weeks, W. F. and Assur, A.: The Mechanical Properties of Sea Ice, Cold
Regions Research & Engineering Laboratory, Hanover, New Hampshire, https://hdl.handle.net/2027/uc1.31822020697546 (15 September 2021), 1967.
Weertman, J.: Creep deformation of ice,
Annu.
Rev. Earth Planet.
Sci., 11, 215–240, 1983.
Westermann, S., Lüers, J., Langer, M., Piel, K., and Boike, J.: The annual surface energy budget of a high-arctic permafrost site on Svalbard, Norway, The Cryosphere, 3, 245–263, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-3-245-2009, 2009.
Wu, Y., Nakagawa, S., Kneafsey, T. J., Dafflon, B., and Hubbard, S.:
Electrical and seismic response of saline permafrost soil during freeze-thaw
transition, J. Appl. Geophys., 146, 16–26, 2017.
Zhankui, Y., Yuanling, Z., and Ping, H.: Experimental study of Poisson's
ratio for frozen soil, Experimental study of Poisson's ratio for frozen soil, in: Proceedings of the 7th International Conference on Permafrost, 23–27 June, Yellowknife, Canada, 1185–1186, 1998.
Short summary
We have investigated a long-term record of ground vibrations, recorded by a seismic array installed in Adventdalen, Svalbard. This record contains a large number of
frost quakes, a type of ground shaking that can be produced by cracks that form as the ground cools rapidly. We use underground temperatures measured in a nearby borehole to model forces of thermal expansion and contraction that can cause these cracks. We also use the seismic measurements to estimate where these cracks occurred.
We have investigated a long-term record of ground vibrations, recorded by a seismic array...
