NSERC PermafrostNet news, updates and activities.
Zakieh Mohammadi will be presenting A framework for evaluating thaw settlement.
Date: 20 November 2024
Time: 13:00-14:00 Eastern Time
Location: Zoom (details are posted in our Teams site).
Rose Lefebvre will be presenting Modelling the nitrogen cycle of mosses across the boreal forest.
Date: 13 November 2024
Time: 13:00-14:00 Eastern Time
Location: Zoom (details are posted in our Teams site).
Mosses are common ground cover species in the boreal forest. They can influence different components of the ecosystem, such as the ground thermal regime due to their insulating properties, and the nitrogen cycle through biological nitrogen fixation. Mosses are not always included in terrestrial biosphere models, which are used to make climate projections. The Canadian Land Surface Scheme Including Biogeochemical Cycles (CLASSIC) was modified with the goal of improving productivity simulations across the North American boreal forest. Feather mosses and the nitrogen cycle of mosses were implemented in CLASSIC. The model was validated by comparing observation data against model output at eight sites. The sites range from being near the southern limit of permafrost to being in the continuous permafrost zone. Once validated, the model was run across the North American boreal forest.
Rae Landriau will be presenting Performance of Drilling Waste Sumps, Western Arctic Canada.
Date: 29 May 2024
Time: 13:00-14:00 Eastern Time
Location: Zoom (details are posted in our Teams site).
Petroleum resource exploration and development has occurred in the Northwest Territories since the 1920s. Freezing-point depressants, mainly potassium chloride, were added to drilling fluids to facilitate drilling into permafrost. Disposal of these fluids was typically in large man-made pits (sumps). Sumps were excavated in permafrost, with the intention that frozen ground would contain the fluids indefinitely. Climatic warming in northwest Canada has raised the temperature of near-surface permafrost, increasing the potential for failure of sumps in the region. Using electro-magnetic surveys, ground conductivity on and off sumps can be collected and analyzed to detect the presence of these fluids and determine if they have migrated.
Hannah Macdonell will be presenting Development and demonstration of a statistical ranking framework for ground temperature models, tailored towards permafrost environments.
Date: 18 September 2024
Time: 13:00-14:00 Eastern Time
Location: Zoom (details are posted in our Teams site).
The NSERC PermafrostNet seminar videos – Ice-Wedge Volume, Distribution, and Development in the Barrens of the Hudson Bay Lowlands, Northern Manitoba et Precise Change Detection with Airborne InSAR and Optical Photogrammetry data in permafrost regions are now available.
Tabatha Rahman presented Ice-Wedge Volume, Distribution, and Development in the Barrens of the Hudson Bay Lowlands, Northern Manitoba.
Extensive ice-wedge polygon networks are found in the ‘Barrens’ of northern Manitoba, a 50,000 km2 zone of continuous permafrost tundra that emerged from the Tyrrell Sea less than 5,500 years ago. Tabatha will present empirical results of ice-wedge volume and tri-dimensional distribution, and will focus on the environmental conditions associated with the growth and degradation of ice wedges in this uplifted permafrost peatland. Knowledge of wedge-ice morphology and development is essential for the prediction and mitigation of risks associated with anticipated permafrost thaw in the Barrens.
Usman Iqbal Ahmed will be presenting Precise Change Detection with Airborne Interferometric Synthetic Aperture Radar (InSAR) & Optical Photogrammetry Data and its application to Active Permafrost Regions.
Permafrost thaw can cause several problems; the ground becomes unstable and can cause damage to infrastructure such as roads, buildings, and pipelines. It can also cause erosion and changes in the landscape, which can have ecological and social impacts and disruption of indigenous ways of life. Monitoring these changes is a key factor in reducing the impact of such disasters as well as timely reaction/adaptation to such changes. I am exploring the option of developing a change detection method using Airborne Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) Interferometry and Optical Photogrammetry data for precise change detection. I will present the results of our controlled experiment with simulated permafrost related changes to showcase the capability of our method in active permafrost thaw environments.
A new study by Gabriel Karam et al asks, how do climate and soil control the ice-wedge formation process?
Answering these questions can further our understanding of wedge-ice volume and distribution.
Ice-wedges are periglacial landforms that develop as a result of thermal contraction-cracking in continuous permafrost regions, which appear as polygonal networks on the ground surface. Given their complex thermo- mechanical loading history, very few related numerical models have so far been developed. This study developed a new climate-driven model to show the fractures in soil that develop from thermal contraction in winter. The range of model results indicate how climate, soil type and water saturation of the soil affect the spacing, depth, and width of ice-wedge cracks. Estimating ice-wedge depth can help us make informed volume calculations which are otherwise difficult to measure in the field.
Karam, G., Pouragha, M. and Gruber, S. (2024). Investigating the controls of ice-wedge initiation and growth using XFEM, Computers and Geotechnics, Volume 173, DOI: 10.1016/j.compgeo.2024.106549
The network recently hosted a fieldwork training event at the Fort Montmorency research station of Université Laval.
The first day was packed with exciting and valuable sessions, from navigation training by Pia Blake to hands-on installation and location of ground temperature sensors by Galina Jonat et Olivia Meier-Legault, followed by discussions about field safety and situations led by Tristan MacLean.
The navigation session started off with everyone creating 3D models of their topographic maps, followed by outdoor location of waypoints, on and off the trails, using maps, compass and GPS.
In the afternoon, after an introduction to temperature sensors and their use in permafrost terrain by Galina and Olivia, the trainees were split into two groups, to test out their abilities at finding buried sensors based on location information and the use of a metal detector to find associated nails.
Day two was even more action packed, featuring drone flying, lectures on detecting ground ice and a competitive shelter building session followed by fire making practice with the ferro rods and some good old marshmallow toasting.
The morning featured a session on demystifying remotely piloted aircraft for field research with Frederic Brieger. Thankfully the rain held off and we were able to get out and get the drones up in the air.
The afternoon started off with a presentation on ERT and Spectral Induced Polarization by Hosein Fereydooni, before we headed out to see the flux tower and learn about eddy co-variance with Bruno Lecavalier. The group then took part in a competitive but very friendly time-limited challenge to construct a shelter in the wild with limited resources. The session was led, and each teams efforts carefully assessed by Frederic and Galina.
The day was completed with a tricky but satisfying fire-making session using a variety of survival tools and natural kindling.
Rae Landriau will be presenting Performance of Drilling Waste Sumps, Western Arctic Canada.
Date: 29 May 2024
Time: 13:00-14:00 Eastern Time
Location: Zoom (details are posted in our Teams site).
Petroleum resource exploration and development has occurred in the Northwest Territories since the 1920s. Freezing-point depressants, mainly potassium chloride, were added to drilling fluids to facilitate drilling into permafrost. Disposal of these fluids was typically in large man-made pits (sumps). Sumps were excavated in permafrost, with the intention that frozen ground would contain the fluids indefinitely. Climatic warming in northwest Canada has raised the temperature of near-surface permafrost, increasing the potential for failure of sumps in the region. Using electro-magnetic surveys, ground conductivity on and off sumps can be collected and analyzed to detect the presence of these fluids and determine if they have migrated.
Usman Iqbal Ahmed will be presenting Precise Change Detection with Airborne Interferometric Synthetic Aperture Radar (InSAR) & Optical Photogrammetry Data and its application to Active Permafrost Regions.
Date: 22 May 2024
Time: 13:00-14:00 Eastern Time
Location: Zoom (details are posted in our Teams site).
Permafrost thaw can cause several problems; the ground becomes unstable and can cause damage to infrastructure such as roads, buildings, and pipelines. It can also cause erosion and changes in the landscape, which can have ecological and social impacts and disruption of indigenous ways of life. Monitoring these changes is a key factor in reducing the impact of such disasters as well as timely reaction/adaptation to such changes. I am exploring the option of developing a change detection method using Airborne Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) Interferometry and Optical Photogrammetry data for precise change detection. I will present the results of our controlled experiment with simulated permafrost related changes to showcase the capability of our method in active permafrost thaw environments.
Analysis and prediction of permafrost change are hampered by lack of observational data. In collaboration with Stephan Gruber, Peter Pulsifer, and Amos Hayes, we developed a permafrost data management system to support permafrost observation networks that involve many different kinds of permafrost data.
We identify five broad challenges for permafrost data management and publication: (1) existing data management strategies do not scale well, (2) data users have different skills and needs, (3) permafrost data are varied, (4) resources for permafrost data management are limited, and (5) existing permafrost data sources are difficult to integrate. Our prototype system supports a permafrost data workflow from observation to the distribution of interoperable data. The system simplifies data publication and management, although we identify and discuss several hurdles in adapting the CF conventions and ERDDAP for permafrost data. Our learning can inform organizations who collect, manage, or distribute permafrost data or those who manage large observation networks.
In summary:
This research was enabled in part by support provided by Compute Ontario et du Digital Research Alliance of Canada.