Ninth International Conference on Permafrost ... - IARC Research

More documents

Recommendations

Info

Permafrost Characteristics and Climate Change Consequencesat Stockhorn and Gornergrat (Swiss Alps)IntroductionClemens Constantin Maag, Oliver Wild, Lorenz KingJustus-Liebig-University Giessen, GermanyMartin Baum, Sebastian Klein, Christin HilbichFriedrich-Schiller-University Jena, GermanyThe Stockhorn-Gornergrat tourist area is of high interestfor the study of mountain permafrost and aspects of climatechange. Within the EU-project PACE, a 100 m deep drillinglocated at 3405 m a.s.l. points to a permafrost thickness ofabout 170 m at the Stockhorn Plateau. Since then, longtermmonitoring of the bedrock and permafrost conditionsstarted. A reorganization of the ski region due to changedtourist expectations led to both new ski slopes and cablecar connections. The necessary construction work providesthe opportunity for new findings of the existing permafrostconditions. Stockhorn qualifies as a salient research area, asit is only marginally affected by the tourist industry yet iswithin the well-examined Zermatt research area, and only10 km by airline from Kleinmatterhorn (3883 m a.s.l.) (Kinget al. 2008). These conditions allow observation of climaticdevelopments due to climate change and constructionmeasures.Alpine Natural Hazards at GornergratClimate change and accompanying effects like risingtemperatures have created new alpine phenomena anddangers. Avalanches, rockfalls and water inclusionsmay appear more often due to the steady warming of theatmosphere. In 2003, the rise of temperatures resulted inpermafrost thaw and exceptional rockfalls (Gruber et al2004b). As further research projects showed, characteristicsof rock walls and their temperature depend not only on thequality of solar radiation and air temperature, but also ontheir topographic distribution (Gruber et al. 2004).As the Stockhorn and Gornergrat are highly frequented bylarge numbers of tourists and skiers, the characteristics ofthis area must be constantly monitored.Ground Ice at KelleThe area Kelle at the northern slopes of the east–westrunning Gornergrat crest (3135 m) and Hohtälli (3286m a.s.l.) is well known for its permafrost occurrences.Visible indicators are rock glaciers and perennial snowpatches. Scientific studies consisted of measurements ofground temperatures and BTS values (Philippi 2003) andthe development of permafrost models (Gruber 2000).In summer 2007, excavation work for a new ski run anda culvert system for artificial snow was carried out, andground ice was exposed at various sites. The new ski runhas a length of 2.5 km and 300 m altitudinal difference, andFigure 1. Ground ice of the rock glacier with water conduit forartificial snow production (lower right).crosses rock glaciers and rock glacier-like features. Nearsurfacetop layers were removed down to a depth of 8 to 10m at some places. This offered the rare opportunity to have alook inside these features. The excavation was accompaniedthroughout 2007 by researchers of different universities.Geophysical measurements were carried out (Hilbich et al.2007), ice samples taken, and the course of the ski tracksurveyed (Giessen, Zurich). Melting of the ground ice wasalready observed during the construction period.Geophysical AnalysesIn order to observe climate-related permafrost degradation,a fix ERT monitoring system was installed at the Stockhornplateau in summer 2005 (Hilbich et al. 2008) in close cooperationwith the PERMOS network (Permafrost MonitoringSwitzerland). It enables regular (preferably seasonal) semiautomaticmeasurements of the apparent electrical resistivityof the ground. The ERT section consists of 55 electrodeswith a spacing of 2 m, resulting in a length of 108 m in total.The vertical penetration depth is about 20 m.Figure 2 shows the computed results of an ERTmeasurement made in September 2007. The position ofthe PACE boreholes are marked; however they may have alateral offset of about 10 m to the ERT line.In addition, the electrode array was complemented by acoinciding fix transect for refraction seismic monitoring insummer 2007. For the refraction seismic monitoring, oneshort (2 m spacing) and one long (4 m spacing) section with24 geophones each were installed to account for both highspatial resolution (at a length of 46 m) and extension acrossthe whole ERT line (96 m).195
Ni N t h iN t e r N at i o N a l Co N f e r e N C e o N Pe r m a f r o s tFigure 2. ERT results at Stockhorn Plateau and positions of thePACE boreholes 60/00 (left) and 61/00 (right).In order to analyze the computed results of the seismicand geo-electric measurements, 4 temperature loggers wereinstalled at a depth of 30 cm, with a lateral offset of about 5m all along the section.First results of the geophysical monitoring reveal apronounced seasonal active layer dynamic up to a depth ofabout 3 to 5 m. Variations are due to the distinctive topographyof the plateau with steeply inclined northern and southernslopes. This characteristic topography also influences the 3Dsubsurface temperature field, which has to be considered atthe interpretation of borehole temperatures.The combination of both geo-electric and seismic analysisallows the determination of the total content and temporalchange of frozen and unfrozen water and air-filled pore spacein the subsurface of this plateau (Hauck et al. 2008).The PACE Monitoring Site StockhornThe studies at Stockhorn and Gornergrat directly relateto actual and current aspects of permafrost research undertourist aspects. The various continuous approaches allowa full understanding of the described factors in the highmountain area. Future research will aim at the investigationof the collected PACE data and the embedding into thegeneral research in Valais. The data of both boreholes (100m and 17 m) will be compared at a depth of 10 m in orderto classify the results. Therefore one aspect is to develop aconcept for the interpretation of the ongoing measurementsunder consideration of the natural disturbances and themodeling of corresponding temperature histories. To whatextent the overall influence of climate change on both rockand air temperature is intensified by building measures in thealpine regions is of great interest for the tourism industry. Anewly structured implementation of this area into the touristconcept generates unique scientific research possibilities dueto the rather peripheral location within the Zermatt alpineregion.AcknowledgmentsThe authors are especially thankful for the support providedby the Zermatt Bergbahnen AG, which made the scientificresearch possible. Stephan Gruber (Zurich) and ThomasHerz (Giessen) were a crucial help in the data analyses.ReferencesGruber, S. 2000. Slope Instability and Permafrost, aSpatial Analysis in the Matter Valley, Switzerland.Unpublished master thesis, Germany: Institute ofGeography, Justus Liebig University Giessen.Gruber, S., King, L., Kohl, T., Herz, T., Haeberli, W. &Hoelzle, M. 2004. Interpretation of geothermal profilesperturbed by topography: The alpine permafrostboreholes at Stockhorn Plateau, Switzerland.Permafrost and Periglacial Processes 15: 349-357.Gruber, S., Hoelzle, M. & Haeberli, W. 2004a. Rock-walltemperatures in the Alps: Modelling their topographicdistribution and regional differences. Permafrost andPeriglacial Processes 15: 299-307.Gruber, S., Hoelzle, M. & Haeberli, W. 2004b. Permafrostthaw and destabilization of alpine rock walls in thehot summer of 2003. Geophysical Research Letters31: doi:10.1029/2004GL020051.Hauck, C., Bach, M. & Hilbich, C. 2008. A 4-phase modelto quantify subsurface ice and water content inpermafrost regions based on geophysical datasets.Proceedings of the <strong>Ninth</strong> <strong>International</strong> <strong>Conference</strong>on Permafrost, Fairbanks, Alaska, June 23–July 3,2008.Hilbich, C. Roer, I & Hauck, C. 2007. Ground truthobservations of the interior of a rockglacier asvalidation for geophysical monitoring data sets. EosTrans. AGU 88(52), Fall Meet. Suppl., AbstractsC21a-0056.Hilbich, C. et al. 2008. A geo-electric monitoring networkand resistivity-temperature relationships of differentmountain permafrost sites in the Swiss Alps.Proceedings of the <strong>Ninth</strong> <strong>International</strong> <strong>Conference</strong>on Permafrost, Fairbanks, Alaska, June 23–July 3,2008.King, L., Hof, R., Herz, T & Gruber, S. 2003. Long-termmonitoring of borehole temperatures and permafrostrelateddata for climate change research and naturalhazard management: Examples from the Mattertal,Swiss Alps. Proceedings of the Eighth <strong>International</strong><strong>Conference</strong> on Permafrost, Zurich, Switzerland, July20-25, 2003: 77-78.King, L. Maag, C.C. & Baumann, C. 2008. Impacts ofClimate Warming and Facilities on Rock Temperaturesat a Tunnel in High Alpine Continuous Permafrost:Results of Long-Term Monitoring at Kleinmatterhorn,Swiss Alps. Proceedings of the <strong>Ninth</strong> <strong>International</strong><strong>Conference</strong> on Permafrost, Fairbanks, Alaska, June23–July 3, 2008.Philippi, S., Herz, T. & King, L. 2003. Near-surfaceground temperatures and permafrost distribution atGornergrat, Matter valley, Swiss Alps. Proceedings ofthe Eighth <strong>International</strong> <strong>Conference</strong> on Permafrost,Zurich, Switzerland, July 20-25, 2003: 129-130.196
Page 1:
NICOP 2008 Ninth <
Page 6 and 7:
ContentsPreface ...................
Page 8 and 9:
Mapping and Modeling the Distributi
Page 10 and 11:
Satellite Observations of Frozen Gr
Page 13 and 14:
xiiIce Wedge Thermal Regime in Nort
Page 15 and 16:
xivPermafrost Response to Dynamics
Page 17 and 18:
xvi
Page 19 and 20:
NICOP SponsorsUniversitiesUniversit
Page 22 and 23:
Deep Permafrost Studies at the Lupi
Page 24 and 25:
Effect of Fire on Pond Dynamics in
Page 26 and 27:
Cryological Status of Russian Soils
Page 28 and 29:
Acoustical Surveys of Methane Plume
Page 30 and 31:
Permafrost Delineation Near Fairban
Page 32 and 33:
Preparatory Work for a Permanent Ge
Page 34 and 35:
A Provisional Soil Map of the Trans
Page 36 and 37:
Martian Permafrost Depths from Orbi
Page 38 and 39:
Time Series Analyses of Active Micr
Page 40 and 41:
Impact of Permafrost Degradation on
Page 42 and 43:
DC Resistivity Soundings Across a P
Page 44 and 45:
Modeling Thermal and Moisture Regim
Page 46 and 47:
A Provisional Permafrost Map of the
Page 48 and 49:
Alpine Permafrost Distribution at M
Page 50 and 51:
Cryogenic Formations of the Caucasu
Page 52 and 53:
Modeling Potential Climatic Change
Page 54 and 55:
A Hypothesis: A Condition of Growth
Page 56 and 57:
Modeled Continual Surface Water Sto
Page 58 and 59:
Freeze/Thaw Properties of Tundra So
Page 60 and 61:
Discontinuous Permafrost Distributi
Page 62 and 63:
Thermal Regime Within an Arctic Was
Page 64 and 65:
Seasonal and Interannual Variabilit
Page 66 and 67:
Twelve-Year Thaw Progression Data f
Page 68 and 69:
Continued Permafrost Warming in Nor
Page 70 and 71:
Landsliding Following Forest Fire o
Page 72 and 73:
A Permafrost Model Incorporating Dy
Page 74 and 75:
Seasonal Sources of Soil Respiratio
Page 76 and 77:
Greenland Permafrost Temperature Si
Page 78 and 79:
The Importance of Snow Cover Evolut
Page 80 and 81:
The Account of Long-Term Air Temper
Page 82 and 83:
The Combined Isotopic Analysis of L
Page 84 and 85:
Adaptating and Managing Nunavik’s
Page 86 and 87:
Human Experience of Cryospheric Cha
Page 88 and 89:
HiRISE Observations of Fractured Mo
Page 90 and 91:
A Soil Freeze-Thaw Model Through th
Page 92 and 93:
Mapping and Modeling the Distributi
Page 94 and 95:
First Results of Ground Surface Tem
Page 96 and 97:
Historical Changes in the Seasonall
Page 98 and 99:
Rock Glaciers in the Kåfjord Area,
Page 100 and 101:
Snowpack Evolution on Permafrost, N
Page 102 and 103:
Climate Change in Permafrost Region
Page 104 and 105:
Maximizing Construction Season in a
Page 106 and 107:
Pleistocene Sand-Wedge, Composite-W
Page 109 and 110:
Ni n t h In t e r n at i o n a l Co
Page 111 and 112:
Page 113 and 114:
Page 115 and 116:
Page 117 and 118:
Page 119 and 120:
Page 121 and 122:
Page 123 and 124:
Page 125 and 126:
Page 127 and 128:
Page 129 and 130:
Page 131 and 132:
Page 133 and 134:
Page 135 and 136:
Page 137 and 138:
Page 139 and 140:
Page 141 and 142:
Page 143 and 144:
Page 145 and 146:
Page 147 and 148:
Page 149 and 150:
Page 151 and 152:
Page 153 and 154:
Page 155 and 156:
Page 157 and 158:
Page 159 and 160:
Ni N t h iN t e r N at i o N a l Co
Page 161 and 162:
Page 163 and 164:
Page 165 and 166: Ni n t h In t e r n at i o n a l Co
Page 215: Ni n t h In t e r n at i o n a l Co
Page 253: Ni n t h In t e r n at i o n a l Co
Page 267 and 268:
Page 269 and 270:
Page 271 and 272:
Page 273 and 274:
Page 275 and 276:
Page 277 and 278:
Page 279 and 280:
Page 281 and 282:
Page 283 and 284:
Page 285 and 286:
Page 287 and 288:
Page 289 and 290:
Page 291 and 292:
Page 293 and 294:
Page 295 and 296:
Page 297 and 298:
Page 299 and 300:
Page 301 and 302:
Page 303 and 304:
Page 305 and 306:
Page 307 and 308:
Page 309 and 310:
Page 311 and 312:
Page 313 and 314:
Page 315 and 316:
Page 317 and 318:
Page 319 and 320:
Page 321 and 322:
Page 323 and 324:
Page 325 and 326:
Page 327 and 328:
Page 329 and 330:
Page 331 and 332:
Page 333 and 334:
Page 335 and 336:
Page 337 and 338:
Page 339 and 340:
Page 341 and 342:
Page 343 and 344:
Page 345 and 346:
Page 347 and 348:
Page 349 and 350:
Page 351 and 352:
Page 353 and 354:
Page 355 and 356:
Page 357 and 358:
Page 359 and 360:
Page 361 and 362:
Page 363 and 364:
Page 365 and 366:
Page 367 and 368:
Page 369 and 370:
Page 371 and 372:
Page 373 and 374:
Page 375 and 376:
Page 377 and 378:
Page 379 and 380:
Page 381 and 382:
Page 383 and 384:
Page 385 and 386:
Page 387 and 388:
Page 389 and 390:
Page 391 and 392:
370Huang, B. 339Hugelius, G. 105, 1
Page 393:
372
show all

Ninth International Conference on Permafrost ... - IARC Research

You also want an ePaper? Increase the reach of your titles

Delete template?

Save as template?