Nature and origin of massive ground ice bodies, Yukon Territory and Alaska
Gas bubbles in ice hold relevant information on the origin and process of formation, distinguishing between an atmospheric and dissolved origin. Using ice crystallography, stable O-H isotopes and gas composition, this thesis provides new clues to the understanding of ice wedge formation and filling...
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ftunivottawa:oai:ruor.uottawa.ca:10393/28201 2023-05-15T16:37:10+02:00 Nature and origin of massive ground ice bodies, Yukon Territory and Alaska St-Jean, Melanie 2009 107 p. application/pdf http://hdl.handle.net/10393/28201 https://doi.org/10.20381/ruor-12439 en eng University of Ottawa (Canada) Source: Masters Abstracts International, Volume: 48-04, page: 1995. http://hdl.handle.net/10393/28201 http://dx.doi.org/10.20381/ruor-12439 Geography Thesis 2009 ftunivottawa https://doi.org/10.20381/ruor-12439 2021-01-04T17:09:22Z Gas bubbles in ice hold relevant information on the origin and process of formation, distinguishing between an atmospheric and dissolved origin. Using ice crystallography, stable O-H isotopes and gas composition, this thesis provides new clues to the understanding of ice wedge formation and filling process in the Yukon Territory and Alaska. An improved extraction line and mass spectrometry technique were used 10 analyze the gas composition of ice bubbles (O2, N2 and Ar). Conclusions from this study infer that climatic conditions may influence the source of infilling during ice wedge growth. Wet and dry environments have result in two different signatures in ice wedges. The Vault Creek tunnel ice wedges in Alaska, dated to the late Pleistocene, a cold and dry period, preserve stable O-H isotope and gas compositions similar to those expected for ice formed by snow densification. On the other hand, ice wedges from the Old Crow region, dated to the late Holocene, preserved isotopic and gas compositions more similar to those expected for ice formed by the freezing of liquid water. In some cases, the results from the occluded gases (O2, N2 and Ar) showed low oxygen concentration and high delta18O values, indicating respiration prior to formation. These results are significant to palaeoclimatic interpretation of ice wedges in permafrost areas. Thesis Ice Old Crow permafrost wedge* Alaska Yukon uO Research (University of Ottawa - uOttawa) Yukon |
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uO Research (University of Ottawa - uOttawa) |
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ftunivottawa |
language |
English |
topic |
Geography |
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Geography St-Jean, Melanie Nature and origin of massive ground ice bodies, Yukon Territory and Alaska |
topic_facet |
Geography |
description |
Gas bubbles in ice hold relevant information on the origin and process of formation, distinguishing between an atmospheric and dissolved origin. Using ice crystallography, stable O-H isotopes and gas composition, this thesis provides new clues to the understanding of ice wedge formation and filling process in the Yukon Territory and Alaska. An improved extraction line and mass spectrometry technique were used 10 analyze the gas composition of ice bubbles (O2, N2 and Ar). Conclusions from this study infer that climatic conditions may influence the source of infilling during ice wedge growth. Wet and dry environments have result in two different signatures in ice wedges. The Vault Creek tunnel ice wedges in Alaska, dated to the late Pleistocene, a cold and dry period, preserve stable O-H isotope and gas compositions similar to those expected for ice formed by snow densification. On the other hand, ice wedges from the Old Crow region, dated to the late Holocene, preserved isotopic and gas compositions more similar to those expected for ice formed by the freezing of liquid water. In some cases, the results from the occluded gases (O2, N2 and Ar) showed low oxygen concentration and high delta18O values, indicating respiration prior to formation. These results are significant to palaeoclimatic interpretation of ice wedges in permafrost areas. |
format |
Thesis |
author |
St-Jean, Melanie |
author_facet |
St-Jean, Melanie |
author_sort |
St-Jean, Melanie |
title |
Nature and origin of massive ground ice bodies, Yukon Territory and Alaska |
title_short |
Nature and origin of massive ground ice bodies, Yukon Territory and Alaska |
title_full |
Nature and origin of massive ground ice bodies, Yukon Territory and Alaska |
title_fullStr |
Nature and origin of massive ground ice bodies, Yukon Territory and Alaska |
title_full_unstemmed |
Nature and origin of massive ground ice bodies, Yukon Territory and Alaska |
title_sort |
nature and origin of massive ground ice bodies, yukon territory and alaska |
publisher |
University of Ottawa (Canada) |
publishDate |
2009 |
url |
http://hdl.handle.net/10393/28201 https://doi.org/10.20381/ruor-12439 |
geographic |
Yukon |
geographic_facet |
Yukon |
genre |
Ice Old Crow permafrost wedge* Alaska Yukon |
genre_facet |
Ice Old Crow permafrost wedge* Alaska Yukon |
op_relation |
Source: Masters Abstracts International, Volume: 48-04, page: 1995. http://hdl.handle.net/10393/28201 http://dx.doi.org/10.20381/ruor-12439 |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.20381/ruor-12439 |
_version_ |
1766027468794232832 |