Listening for sediment transport and river ice dynamics in Arctic Rivers - Year 2

The Arctic region is experiencing accelerated temperature increases, which has been driving increased rates of permafrost thaw and causing changes in the physical and chemical dynamics of Arctic landscapes. One such change is in the timing and magnitude of spring river ice breakup and flooding. It is difficult to observe river ice breakup in remote Alaskan rivers, and even more difficult to collect samples of river bedload and suspended load during ice breakup events. Building on a geophysical dataset collected on the Canning River in summer 2023, we deployed three geophones during river ice breakup and continuously recorded the signals generated by river ice breakup and river discharge rise in the Canning River, Alaska during this dynamic period. We deployed three SmartSolo geophones (IGU-16HR 3C Multi Channel Data Loggers) on an elevated floodplain surface at 20, 30, and 40 m from the bank of the Canning River from 28 May through 24 June 2024. Unfortunately, only two nodes were recovered (stations 2 and 3 at 30 and 40 m from the river bank, respectively). Using the recorded geophone data, we will work to translate the seismic signals into river ice movement, bedload sediment transport, and stage height changes. These data will provide key information on the timing and driving mechanisms of river bank erosion, soil carbon loss, and sediment transport rates in changing Arctic river systems.

北极地区正经历加速升温，这推动了永久冻土融化速率的上升，并导致北极地貌的物理与化学动态发生改变。其中一个变化体现在春季河流冰破裂与洪水的发生时间及强度上。在阿拉斯加偏远河流中观测冰破裂现象存在困难，而在冰破裂事件期间采集河床质（bedload）与悬移质（suspended load）样本则更为棘手。基于2023年夏季在坎宁河（Canning River）采集的地球物理数据集，我们在冰破裂期间部署了三台地震检波器（geophones），并持续记录了这一动态时期内阿拉斯加坎宁河冰破裂及河流流量上升所产生的信号。2024年5月28日至6月24日期间，我们在坎宁河河岸20米、30米及40米处的高漫滩表面部署了三台SmartSolo地震检波器（型号为IGU-16HR 3C多通道数据记录仪）。遗憾的是，仅回收了两个节点（分别为距河岸30米的2号站和40米的3号站）。利用记录的地震检波器数据，我们将致力于将地震信号转化为河流冰体运动、河床质输移及水位变化信息。这些数据将为理解变化中的北极河流系统中河岸侵蚀、土壤碳流失及泥沙输移速率的发生时间与驱动机制提供关键信息。