Permafrost Extent on the Alaskan Beaufort Shelf From Surface-Towed Controlled-Source Electromagnetic Surveys

Sherman, D.; Constable, S. C.

doi:10.1029/2018jb015859

Permafrost Extent on the Alaskan Beaufort Shelf From Surface-Towed Controlled-Source Electromagnetic Surveys

Journal Article · Fri Aug 10 00:00:00 EDT 2018 · Journal of Geophysical Research. Solid Earth

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1029/2018jb015859· OSTI ID:1539755

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Univ. of California, San Diego, CA (United States). Scripps Inst. of Oceanography; DOE/OSTI
Univ. of California, San Diego, CA (United States). Scripps Inst. of Oceanography

We have developed a surface-towed electric dipole-dipole system capable of operating in shallow water and deployable from small vessels. Our system uses electromagnetic energy from a modulated manmade source to interrogate the underlying resistivity structure of the seafloor. We used this system in the summers of 2014 and 2015 to map subsea ice-bearing permafrost on the Beaufort shelf along 200 km of coastline, from Tigvariak Island to Harrison Bay. Permafrost is resistive and was found to be anisotropic, likely due to interbedded layers of frozen and unfrozen sediment. Maps of depth to permafrost and its thickness were produced from electrical resistivity inversions and results compared to borehole logs in the area. We observed elevated resistivity values offshore the Sagavanirktok River outflow, supporting the idea that fresh groundwater flow has a preserving effect on submerged permafrost. This system provides a cost effective method that could be used to further quantify permafrost extent, provide a baseline for measurements of future degradation, and provide observational constraints to aid in permafrost modeling studies.

View Accepted Manuscript (DOE)

Research Organization:: Univ. of California, San Diego, CA (United States)

Sponsoring Organization:: USDOE; USDOE Office of Fossil Energy (FE)

Grant/Contract Number:: FE0010144

OSTI ID:: 1539755

Alternate ID(s):: OSTI ID: 1472186

Journal Information:: Journal of Geophysical Research. Solid Earth, Journal Name: Journal of Geophysical Research. Solid Earth Journal Issue: 9 Vol. 123; ISSN 2169-9313

Publisher:: American Geophysical UnionCopyright Statement

Country of Publication:: United States

Language:: English

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