Remote Sensing and Modeling of Permafrost and Hydrology [1. Overview]

Study Sites
Permafrost Freshwater Interactions
Alaska, Canada, Russia
Permafrost Observatories Thermal state of permafrost in Russia and Central Asia
Permafrost Freshwater Interactions Project continues investigations began during the Thermal State of Permafrost (TSP) Project with renewed and expanded collaboration. Our efforts focus and expand on permafrost and hydrology changes through geophysical modeling and remote sensing (satellite geodesy).
During TSP in cooperation with above mentioned Russian partners a large number of existing boreholes have been identified for possible measurements (candidate sites). Many of these have metadata files on the IPA coordinated GTN-P website. Additional sites will be added to the web site. New boreholes over the next several years are planned. A total of 320 boreholes, located in Russia, Kazakhstan, and Mongolia were considered from the point of view of possibility for continuous geothermal observations (see Figure). Boreholes cover all types of permafrost, from continuous to sporadic, both on the plains and in the mountains. Active (sites where regular observations were carried out recently and are intended to continue in the future), candidate (where equipment for long-term observations can be installed soon), potential (equipment for long-term observation is planned to be installed during the project) and historical (there are some existing data but now these sites are unavailable for observations for different reasons) boreholes were selected.
In order to standardize all investigations within the framework of the Project the "Manual for monitoring and reporting temperature data in permafrost boreholes" was developed. It allows better standardized collection, handling and interpretation of obtained data. In the Protocol two types of observation strategies are proposed:
Type 1: Long-term high-frequency (hourly to daily) continuous observations in the limited number of key boreholes, which are representative of a given regions (note: these more frequent observations are desirable to depths of 15-20 meters);
Type 2: Occasional or periodical measurements in the other available and deeper boreholes (if possible annual or more frequently).
As a minimum, and based primarily on cost considerations for the IPY-TSP program, the use of HOBO U12 4-External Channel Data Loggerswith temperature sensors TMC-HD are proposed. At the same time, individual participants can employ other types of loggers and/or thermal cables (chains) with similar sensor characteristics.
Research Goals
The goal of our research is to obtain a deeper understanding of the temporal (interannual and decadal time scales) and spatial (north to south and west to east) variability and trends in the permafrost temperatures and physical changes (such as talik and the active layer) in the North of Eurasia and Alaska to develop more reliable predictive capabilities for the projection of these changes into the 21st century. We are employing ground datasets from the global permafrost temperature networks, global positioning system sites of the International Terrestrial Reference Frame organization, together with satellite-derived datasets of physical parameters such as land-surface temperature, gravity field changes, river runoff and snow water equivalent to name a few. Our modeling efforts employ the Geophysical Institute Permafrost Models (GIPL) and Geophysical Inverse Potential Field Theory.