TY - GEN
T1 - Using Ground Penetrating Radar to estimate active layer moisture conditions in the Arctic
AU - Gacitúa, Guisella
AU - Peter Tamstorf, Mikkel
AU - Slater, Lee
PY - 2010
Y1 - 2010
N2 - Polar regions, especially the Arctic, are expected to experience the largest changes in climate parameters during the coming decades, as well as increased variability. Large amounts of carbon currently stored in the arctic permafrost are expected to be released when a larger portion of the upper permafrost thaws. This will result in a deepening of the active layer, the region above the permafrost that freezes and thaws annually. Changes in this layer is thus important not only as an indicator of climate change, but also because they will alter the conditions for the vegetation and hence the ecosystem. A climate etTects monitoring programme in the Zackenberg valley in the continuous permafrost zone of Northeast Greenland, has since 1995 monitored the thawing of the active layer using manual probes. Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR), a noninvasive technique that provides continuous data on the subsurface, has been widely utilized in geosciences applications and implementation of this technique in Zackenberg can greatly enhance the spatial and temporal resolution of active layer monitoring. Hence, supplying additional knowledge of the changes in the active layer and the processes involved. This paper reports a preliminary analysis of data from a pilot project that focused on the interactions between the snow, soil and vegetation. In 2009, a GPR signal at 500 MHz was used to identify the active layer depth and to assess moisture conditions (0) along a gradient of five ditTerent soil and vegetation types. The results suggest that ditTerences in returning radar velocity can be used to estimate variations in moisture content in the active layer.
AB - Polar regions, especially the Arctic, are expected to experience the largest changes in climate parameters during the coming decades, as well as increased variability. Large amounts of carbon currently stored in the arctic permafrost are expected to be released when a larger portion of the upper permafrost thaws. This will result in a deepening of the active layer, the region above the permafrost that freezes and thaws annually. Changes in this layer is thus important not only as an indicator of climate change, but also because they will alter the conditions for the vegetation and hence the ecosystem. A climate etTects monitoring programme in the Zackenberg valley in the continuous permafrost zone of Northeast Greenland, has since 1995 monitored the thawing of the active layer using manual probes. Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR), a noninvasive technique that provides continuous data on the subsurface, has been widely utilized in geosciences applications and implementation of this technique in Zackenberg can greatly enhance the spatial and temporal resolution of active layer monitoring. Hence, supplying additional knowledge of the changes in the active layer and the processes involved. This paper reports a preliminary analysis of data from a pilot project that focused on the interactions between the snow, soil and vegetation. In 2009, a GPR signal at 500 MHz was used to identify the active layer depth and to assess moisture conditions (0) along a gradient of five ditTerent soil and vegetation types. The results suggest that ditTerences in returning radar velocity can be used to estimate variations in moisture content in the active layer.
KW - Component
KW - GPR Active layer Moisture content
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U2 - 10.1109/ICGPR.2010.5550262
DO - 10.1109/ICGPR.2010.5550262
M3 - Conference contribution
SN - 9781424446049
T3 - Proceedings of the 13th Internarional Conference on Ground Penetrating Radar, GPR 2010
BT - Proceedings of the 13th Internarional Conference on Ground Penetrating Radar, GPR 2010
T2 - 13th Internarional Conference on Ground Penetrating Radar, GPR 2010
Y2 - 21 June 2010 through 25 June 2010
ER -