Understanding the Relative Importance of Vertical and Horizontal Flow in Ice-Wedge Polygons
Abstract. Ice-wedge polygons are common Arctic landforms. The future of these landforms in a warming climate depends on the bidirectional feedback between the rate of ice-wedge degradation and changes in hydrological characteristics. This work aims to better understand the relative roles of vertical...
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ftcdlib:oai:escholarship.org/ark:/13030/qt8fg092ph 2023-05-15T15:09:21+02:00 Understanding the Relative Importance of Vertical and Horizontal Flow in Ice-Wedge Polygons Wales, Nathan A Gomez-Velez, Jesus D Newman, Brent D Wilson, Cathy J Dafflon, Baptiste Kneafsey, Timothy J Wullschleger, Stan D 2019-04-01 https://escholarship.org/uc/item/8fg092ph unknown eScholarship, University of California qt8fg092ph https://escholarship.org/uc/item/8fg092ph public Environmental Engineering article 2019 ftcdlib 2021-07-05T17:07:46Z Abstract. Ice-wedge polygons are common Arctic landforms. The future of these landforms in a warming climate depends on the bidirectional feedback between the rate of ice-wedge degradation and changes in hydrological characteristics. This work aims to better understand the relative roles of vertical and horizontal water fluxes in the subsurface of polygonal landscapes, providing new insights and data to test and calibrate hydrology models. Field-scale investigations were conducted at an intensively-instrumented location on the Barrow Environmental Observatory (BEO) near Utqiaġvik, AK, USA. Using a conservative tracer, we examined controls of microtopography and the frost table on subsurface flow and transport within a low-centered and a high-centered polygon. Bromide tracer was applied at both polygons in July 2015 and transport was monitored through two thaw seasons. Samplers arrays placed in polygon centers, rims, and troughs were used to monitor tracer concentrations. In both polygons, the tracer first infiltrated vertically until encountering the frost table, then was transported horizontally. Horizontal flow occurred in more locations and at higher velocities of fluxes in the low-centered polygon than in the high-centered polygon. Preferential flow, influenced by frost table topography, was significant between polygon centers and troughs. Estimates of horizontal hydraulic conductivity were within the range of previous estimates of vertical conductivity, highlighting the importance of horizontal flow in these systems. This work forms a basis for understanding complexity of flow in polygonal landscapes. Article in Journal/Newspaper Arctic University of California: eScholarship Arctic |
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University of California: eScholarship |
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unknown |
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Environmental Engineering |
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Environmental Engineering Wales, Nathan A Gomez-Velez, Jesus D Newman, Brent D Wilson, Cathy J Dafflon, Baptiste Kneafsey, Timothy J Wullschleger, Stan D Understanding the Relative Importance of Vertical and Horizontal Flow in Ice-Wedge Polygons |
topic_facet |
Environmental Engineering |
description |
Abstract. Ice-wedge polygons are common Arctic landforms. The future of these landforms in a warming climate depends on the bidirectional feedback between the rate of ice-wedge degradation and changes in hydrological characteristics. This work aims to better understand the relative roles of vertical and horizontal water fluxes in the subsurface of polygonal landscapes, providing new insights and data to test and calibrate hydrology models. Field-scale investigations were conducted at an intensively-instrumented location on the Barrow Environmental Observatory (BEO) near Utqiaġvik, AK, USA. Using a conservative tracer, we examined controls of microtopography and the frost table on subsurface flow and transport within a low-centered and a high-centered polygon. Bromide tracer was applied at both polygons in July 2015 and transport was monitored through two thaw seasons. Samplers arrays placed in polygon centers, rims, and troughs were used to monitor tracer concentrations. In both polygons, the tracer first infiltrated vertically until encountering the frost table, then was transported horizontally. Horizontal flow occurred in more locations and at higher velocities of fluxes in the low-centered polygon than in the high-centered polygon. Preferential flow, influenced by frost table topography, was significant between polygon centers and troughs. Estimates of horizontal hydraulic conductivity were within the range of previous estimates of vertical conductivity, highlighting the importance of horizontal flow in these systems. This work forms a basis for understanding complexity of flow in polygonal landscapes. |
format |
Article in Journal/Newspaper |
author |
Wales, Nathan A Gomez-Velez, Jesus D Newman, Brent D Wilson, Cathy J Dafflon, Baptiste Kneafsey, Timothy J Wullschleger, Stan D |
author_facet |
Wales, Nathan A Gomez-Velez, Jesus D Newman, Brent D Wilson, Cathy J Dafflon, Baptiste Kneafsey, Timothy J Wullschleger, Stan D |
author_sort |
Wales, Nathan A |
title |
Understanding the Relative Importance of Vertical and Horizontal Flow in Ice-Wedge Polygons |
title_short |
Understanding the Relative Importance of Vertical and Horizontal Flow in Ice-Wedge Polygons |
title_full |
Understanding the Relative Importance of Vertical and Horizontal Flow in Ice-Wedge Polygons |
title_fullStr |
Understanding the Relative Importance of Vertical and Horizontal Flow in Ice-Wedge Polygons |
title_full_unstemmed |
Understanding the Relative Importance of Vertical and Horizontal Flow in Ice-Wedge Polygons |
title_sort |
understanding the relative importance of vertical and horizontal flow in ice-wedge polygons |
publisher |
eScholarship, University of California |
publishDate |
2019 |
url |
https://escholarship.org/uc/item/8fg092ph |
geographic |
Arctic |
geographic_facet |
Arctic |
genre |
Arctic |
genre_facet |
Arctic |
op_relation |
qt8fg092ph https://escholarship.org/uc/item/8fg092ph |
op_rights |
public |
_version_ |
1766340559659597824 |