Observations in ice-rich permafrost systems, Prudhoe Bay Alaska, August 2020

The National Science Foundation (NSF) Navigating the New Arctic (NNA) project “Landscape evolution and adapting to change in Ice-Rich Permafrost Systems (NNA-IRPS)” investigates key questions relating to ice-rich permafrost systems (IRPS): How are climate change and infrastructure affecting IRPS? What roles do ecosystems play in the development and degradation of IRP? and How can people and their infrastructure adapt to changing IRP systems? This dataset summarizes the results of field work related to the "Landscape Evolution" portion of the project that is geographically focused in the Prudhoe Bay Oilfield (PBO), Alaska, and is focused on 1) how differences in vegetation, soils, water, and time influence the accumulation and degradation of ground ice in IRP landscapes; and 2) how the loss of ground ice can radically change these landscapes, their components, and the infrastructure built on them. This dataset covers a shortened 2020 field seasons due to the COVID pandemic. Field work was conducted from a field camp situated approximately 14 kilometers (km) south of Deadhorse. The primary goals were to (1) conduct a reconnaissance of a new Natural Ice-Rich Permafrost Observatory (NIRPO), (2) monitor late-season thaw depths, water-depths, ice-wedge polygon microrelief contrasts, and vegetation distribution along six previously established transects closer to industrial roads and infrastructure.in the PBO, and (3) provide training and field-site overview for a new graduate student and post doc. An "Adaptation to Change" component of the NNA-IRPS project is focused on housing foundations and landscape changes related to climate and infrastructure in the village of Point Lay. No field research was conducted in Point Lay in 2020 due to the pandemic.