Vol. XXVII, No. 4 (July – August 2023)
Full issue:    EC_4_2023_eng_opt.pdf

CONTENTS

GEOCRYOLOGICAL MONITORING AND FORECAST

  • Vasiliev А.А., Oblogov G.E., Shirokov R.S. Long-term monitoring of the active layer thickness in typical tundras of the Western Yamal
    Abstract
    Data on the interannual dynamics of the active layer thickness (ALT) in the dominant landscapes of typical tundra at the Marre-Sale geocryological station (western coast of the Yamal Peninsula) are presented. It is shown that drained landscapes have the maximum response to changes in climatic conditions, while wet and boggy landscapes are characterized by the reduced rates of increase in the active layer depth. The slow increase in the ALT during the current climate warming is explained by the presence of an ice-rich horizon in the upper part of permafrost, thaw subsidence of the surface, and an increase in the height of the moss cover. The uneven growth of vegetation, primarily mosses, creates considerable contrasts in the spatial distribution of the active layer depth. For a regional assessment of the thawing depth, the use of its mean weighted value with due account for the share of each landscape in the entire landscape structure of the region is recommended.

SURFACE AND GROUND WATERS IN TERRESTRIAL PERMAFROST REGION

  • Fakashchuk N.Yu., Dvornikov Yu.А., Оpokina О.L., Khomutov А.V. The impact of the processes of thermal denudation on the ionic composition of small lakes in Central Yamal Erosional processes in small tundra catchments in the North of Yakutia
    Abstract
    Hydrochemical monitoring of inland waters makes it possible to obtain information about their state and to assess the influence of climatic factors on the regime of water reservoirs. In the recent decade, relevance of the research related to the impact of permafrost thaw on the state of small lakes in the Arctic has been growing. The influence of interannual fluctuations in air temperature and precipitation on the ionic composition of lakes has been statistically established for the contents of NO2, SO4, and NO3 ions. Active thermal denudation on the shores of these lakes increases water mineralization levels by an average of 42.8% and changes the concentrations of major ions Na, Ca, Mg, K, PO4, and HCO3.

  • Palamarchuk V.A., Lebedeva L.S., Pavlova N.A., Khairullin R.R., Baishev N.E. Current state of the groundwater springs of the Makhatta sand massif, Eastern Siberia
    Abstract
    A study of permafrost and groundwater conditions of the Makhatta Tukulan (Sakha Republic (Yakutia)), where thick aquifer talik horizons are common, was carried out. During the first half of July 2021, the water discharge of the Mugur-Taryn Spring was 690 L/s, which is less compared to data from 1973–1974 (770–930 L/s). Current data confirm that the chemical composition of suprapermafrost and intrapermafrost groundwater has been stable over the past several decades in the studied sand massifs. The spring water is of the bicarbonate calcium-magnesium chemical composition with mineralization of 13–50 mg/dm3. Using field observation data and results of remote sensing data processing, it was determined that the area of the sand massif with a vegetation cover has increased by approximately 18% during the past 40–50 years. This has led to a decrease in soil temperature, a change in the water-heat balance of the massif, and a reduction of water reserves of talik aquifers.

PERMAFROST ENGINEERING

  • Anikin G.V., Ishkov A.A. Analytical solution of the problem of operation of deep seasonal cooling devices to assess their efficiency
    Abstract
    An analytical solution to the problem of operation of deep seasonal cooling devices (SCDs) based on the assumption of a quasistationary regime of soil freezing by the system evaporator is suggested. The application of the proposed solution for one of the design configurations of a deep SCD on thawed soils with different thermal conductivity under the weather conditions of Salekhard city is considered. We obtained the values of the radius of soil freezing around the evaporator tube as a function of depth at different time intervals of system operation. This analytical model can be easily applied at the design stage to evaluate and optimize the design of thermal stabilization systems in particular geocryological zones for different thermophysical characteristics of soils taking into account the aggregate state of water in them.

    METHODS OF CRYOSPHERIC RESEARCH

  • Glinskikh V.N., Fedoseev A.A., Nikitenko M.N., Mikhaylov I.V., Bukhtiyarov D.A. Design of field experiments for substantiation оf permafrost monitoring technology
    Abstract
    The work is aimed at the theoretical development and modeling of field experiments for a high-resolution geophysical technique of transient electromagnetic sounding in order to substantiate a permafrost monitoring technology. To select the optimal parameters of the sounding system, we established the dynamics of changes in the registered electromotive force in terms of the distance between the signal transmitter and receiver. Based on field temperature measurements at the geophysical test site and the elucidated relationship between the electrical resistivity and temperature values, we calculated the variations in the resistivity of the near-surface sandy loam and clayey loam for the period late January – early April 2022. The dynamics of changes in the boundary between seasonally frozen and underlying rocks was traced. Using the resistivity values calculated from the measured temperatures, we carried out numerical modeling of the electromotive force amplitude to identify the dependence of the signals on the shift of the boundary due to freezing. In addition, approaches were proposed to verification of the results obtained.

CRYOSOPHY

  • Melnikov V.P., Fedorov R.Yu. Understanding the cryological terminology – the stage of creating a holistic image of the Earth’s cryosphere
    Abstract
    In the first decades of the 21st century, the need of changing the paradigm of cryology has become obvious. This changing is based on two main approaches. One of them is related to transition from considering the cryosphere as a threat for people to its interpretation as one of the key environmental resources supporting life support on the planet. The second approach is based on the need to build a holistic image of the Earth’s cryosphere. Considering the Earth’s cryosphere as a complex system consisting of cold layers of the atmosphere, glaciosphere, and subterranean permafrost, we come to the need to analyze previous terms identifying object areas that study the world of cold. Ideas about the cryosphere and cryology were formulated in 1974. Modern interpretation of the object and the subject of research was the result of many long-term disputes. Currently, the term geocryology remains to be used as a synonym for science of permafrost. However, in the process of building a holistic image of the Earth’s cryosphere, it is necessary to create the properties and state of the entire object as a whole and create new terms and concepts that can reflect the expanding contexts of studying cryogenic processes, their ontological hierarchy, systems connections, etc. In this situation, the philosophy of science is designed to become a kind of source of generation of new images, concepts, and meanings.

CHRONICLE