Articles | Volume 20, issue 6
https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-20-3405-2026
https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-20-3405-2026
Brief communication
 | 
16 Jun 2026
Brief communication |  | 16 Jun 2026

Brief communication: Hypergravity testing of thawing rates in frozen sand

Michael H. Gardner, Simeon Buttery, Soo-Min Ham, Hamad Khan, Daniel W. Wilson, and Jason T. DeJong

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Cited articles

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Bai, Y., Peng, Y., Zhou, W., Xie, Y., Li, Q., Yang, G., Chen, L., Zhu, B., and Yang, Y.: SWAMP: A new experiment for simulating permafrost warming and active layer deepening on the Tibetan Plateau, Methods Ecol. Evol., 14, 1732–1746, https://doi.org/10.1111/2041-210X.14124, 2023. a
Bonales, L., Rodríguez, A. C., and Sanz, P.: Thermal conductivity of ice prepared under different conditions, Int. J. Food Prop., 20, 610–619, https://doi.org/10.1080/10942912.2017.1306551, 2017. a
Boulanger, R. W., Wilson, D. W., Kutter, B. L., DeJong, J. T., and Bronner, C. E.: NHERI centrifuge facility: large-scale centrifuge modeling in geotechnical research, Frontiers in Built Environment, 6, 121, https://doi.org/10.3389/fbuil.2020.00121, 2020. a, b
Carey, T. J., Stone, N., and Kutter, B. L.: Grain size analysis and maximum and minimum dry density testing of Ottawa F-65 sand for LEAP-UCD-2017, in: Model tests and numerical simulations of liquefaction and lateral spreading: LEAP-UCD-2017, Springer, 31–44, https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-22818-7_2, 2020. a
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Short summary
The active layer above permafrost experiences seasonal freezing and thawing cycles. The thickness, and climate-driven change in thickness, of this active layer impacts infrastructure performance, global carbon release, among others. We show how to use gravitational scaling in laboratory experiments that describe the response of the active layer. By using gravity scaling, we can conduct less expensive experiments that still describe the response of actual frozen ground at the prototype scale.
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