Articles | Volume 20, issue 1
https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-20-265-2026
https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-20-265-2026
Research article
 | 
16 Jan 2026
Research article |  | 16 Jan 2026

Characterizing near-surface permafrost in Utqiaġvik, Alaska, using Electrical Resistivity Tomography and Ground Penetrating Radar

Valentina Ekimova, MacKenzie A. Nelson, Taylor Sullivan, Thomas A. Douglas, Howard E. Epstein, and Matthew G. Jull

Related authors

Object-based ensemble estimation of snow depth and snow water equivalent over multiple months in Sodankylä, Finland
David Brodylo, Lauren V. Bosche, Ryan R. Busby, Elias J. Deeb, Thomas A. Douglas, and Juha Lemmetyinen
The Cryosphere, 19, 6127–6148, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-19-6127-2025,https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-19-6127-2025, 2025
Short summary
A Comprehensive Database of Thawing Permafrost Locations Across Alaska
Hailey Webb, Ethan Pierce, Benjamin W. Abbott, William B. Bowden, Yaping Chen, Yating Chen, Thomas A. Douglas, Joel F. Eklof, Eugénie S. Euskirchen, Moritz Langer, Isla H. Myers-Smith, Irina Overeem, Jens Strauss, Katey Walter Anthony, Kang Wang, Matthew A. Whitley, and Merritt R. Turetsky
Earth Syst. Sci. Data Discuss., https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-2025-557,https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-2025-557, 2025
Preprint under review for ESSD
Short summary
Comparing thaw probing, electrical resistivity tomography, and airborne lidar to quantify lateral and vertical thaw in rapidly degrading boreal permafrost
Thomas A. Douglas, M. Torre Jorgenson, Taylor Sullivan, and Caiyun Zhang
The Cryosphere, 19, 3991–4009, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-19-3991-2025,https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-19-3991-2025, 2025
Short summary
Assessing spatial heterogeneity of active layer thickness over Arctic-foothills tundra through intensive field sampling and multi-source remote sensing
Jinyang Du, K. Arthur Endsley, Kazem Bakian Dogaheh, John Kimball, Mahta Moghaddam, Tom Douglas, Asem Melebari, Sepehr Eskandari, Jinhyuk Kim, Jane Whitcomb, Yuhuan Zhao, and Sophia Henze
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2025-3236,https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2025-3236, 2025
Short summary
Permafrost–wildfire interactions: active layer thickness estimates for paired burned and unburned sites in northern high latitudes
Anna C. Talucci, Michael M. Loranty, Jean E. Holloway, Brendan M. Rogers, Heather D. Alexander, Natalie Baillargeon, Jennifer L. Baltzer, Logan T. Berner, Amy Breen, Leya Brodt, Brian Buma, Jacqueline Dean, Clement J. F. Delcourt, Lucas R. Diaz, Catherine M. Dieleman, Thomas A. Douglas, Gerald V. Frost, Benjamin V. Gaglioti, Rebecca E. Hewitt, Teresa Hollingsworth, M. Torre Jorgenson, Mark J. Lara, Rachel A. Loehman, Michelle C. Mack, Kristen L. Manies, Christina Minions, Susan M. Natali, Jonathan A. O'Donnell, David Olefeldt, Alison K. Paulson, Adrian V. Rocha, Lisa B. Saperstein, Tatiana A. Shestakova, Seeta Sistla, Oleg Sizov, Andrey Soromotin, Merritt R. Turetsky, Sander Veraverbeke, and Michelle A. Walvoord
Earth Syst. Sci. Data, 17, 2887–2909, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-17-2887-2025,https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-17-2887-2025, 2025
Short summary

Cited articles

Annan, A. P., Davis, J. L., and Scott, W. J.: Impulse radar wide angle reflection and refraction sounding in permafrost, Geological Survey of Canada Paper, 75, 335–341, 1975. 
Black, R. F.: Gubik formation of Quaternary age in northern Alaska, in: Exploration of naval petroleum reserve No. 4 and adjacent areas, Northern Alaska, 1944–53. Part 2. Regional studies, US Government Printing Office, Washington, US, 1964. 
Blanchy, G., Saneiyan, S., Boyd, J., McLachlan, P., and Binley, A.: ResIPy, an intuitive open source software for complex geoelectrical inversion/modeling, Comput. Geosci., 137, 104423, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cageo.2020.104423, 2020. 
Bobrov, N., Titov, A., and Krekhov, A.: Delineation of underbed talik in the Lena River delta with the use of geophysics – results of GPR, TEM and ERT measurements, in: Theory and Methods of Polar Science: Proceedings of International youth scientific conference on the polar geodesy, glaciology, hydrology and geophysics, edited by: Popov, S. V., Gavrilkina, S. A., and Pryakhina, G. V., St. Petersburg State University, St. Petersburg, Russia, 60–68, ISBN 978-5-9651-1154-1, 2018. 
Download
Short summary
Permafrost beneath Arctic communities is highly sensitive to surface heat and moisture. Geophysics at four Utqiaġvik (Alaska) sites shows that infrastructure – buildings, roads, snow fences – reshapes snow and drainage, redirecting heat and water. Thaw deepens near disturbed ground, while undisturbed, vegetated terrain stays shallower or heaves. Local land use and surface conditions can outweigh regional climate signals, guiding design, maintenance, and risk planning for Arctic infrastructure.
Share