Abstract
Remote sensing studies and field hydrometeorological and geophysical investigations were employed to characterize several aufeis fields in the Brooks Range, Alaska. Geochemical studies were undertaken together with field hydrological measurements to better understand the chemical and thermal properties of stream base flow (groundwater spring) that contributes to winter aufeis development. The spring water temperature was measured at several major aufeis fields using data loggers throughout the year. Aufeis is an important water storage component in the Arctic and influences local ecology and geomorphology. Synthetic aperture radar (SAR) is a useful and sensitive sensor for aufeis detection and for estimating the total volume of storage as well as freeze/thaw conditions. The SAR analysis indicated that the volume of aufeis formed in winter is 27–30% of the annual groundwater discharge in the Kuparuk River. Visible and near‐IR satellite imagery indicated many of the high‐discharge springs (more than 10–1000 1/s) and aufeis fields are centered around an elevation of 600 m a.s.l. in limestone areas with glacial morphology. Geomorphological investigations indicate that many of springs have continually existed from at least the last glaciation. Microwave data (SAR), thermal infrared, short wave infrared, and visible and near‐IR bands were all used to observe the growth, decay, and distribution of aufeis deposits. The remotely sensed data indicate that the distribution of the aufeis deposits today is nearly the same as it was in past colder periods; this was mainly determined by mapping the distributed carbonate precipitates. Also, spring water temperatures and discharge volumes are predictable from the aufeis field size using remotely sensed techniques.
Highlights
A large aufeis deposit is clearly visible in the terrain
The more contrasting is the terrain, the more active are neotectonic movements, the lower is the mean annual air temperature, and the higher is the annual percentage of the territory covered by aufeis ice
The total area of aufeis deposits amounts to 40000 km2, and the number of ice clusters (0.77 km2 in average) exceeds 60000
Summary
A large aufeis deposit (taryn) is clearly visible in the terrain. In winter, even when frosts are severe, the taryn is typically marked by 'streaming' at groundwater seeping spots or evidenced by ice-covered surfaces extending for many kilometres. The information available from publications is mainly based on visual observations during short-term field studies; geocryological profiles, special maps and instrumental measurement data are quite rare This publications is based on data collected by the author in long-term field studies in Yakutia, Transbaikalie, Pribaikalie and East Sayan mountains and surface and aerial surveys of aufeis and icing processes on the Charskie Peski and Eden polygons, as well as on published data on other permafrost regions (Fig. 1), including remote sounding materials and satellite data available in Google. Its major area is occupied by the right-side floodplain of the Middle Sakukan river, the wide boggy valley of the Bolotny brook, which is neighbouring the floodplain at the west, and valleys of the Kholodny and Alyonushka brooks, both going across the mass of drift sands In this territory, the total thickness of the permafrost bed, including sand, sandy clay, boulder-pebble deposits, and peat, ranges from 300 to 350 m. Aerial photos and land survey data were consolidated in a database for mapping, and 13 large-scale landscape-glaciological maps covered sites located in the mountain-taiga belt (9 maps), sub-goltsy (2 maps) and goltsy belts (2 maps) [Alekseyev, 2005]
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