Quantifying and relating land-surface and subsurface variability in permafrost environments using LiDAR and surface geophysical datasets

S. S. Hubbard, C. Gangodagamage, B. Dafflon, H. Wainwright, J. Peterson, A. Gusmeroli, C. Ulrich, Y. Wu, C. Wilson, J. Rowland, C. Tweedie, S. D. Wullschleger

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

133 Scopus citations

Abstract

The value of remote sensing and surface geophysical data for characterizing the spatial variability and relationships between land-surface and subsurface properties was explored in an Alaska (USA) coastal plain ecosystem. At this site, a nested suite of measurements was collected within a region where the land surface was dominated by polygons, including: LiDAR data; ground-penetrating radar, electromagnetic, and electrical-resistance tomography data; active-layer depth, soil temperature, soil-moisture content, soil texture, soil carbon and nitrogen content; and pore-fluid cations. LiDAR data were used to extract geomorphic metrics, which potentially indicate drainage potential. Geophysical data were used to characterize active-layer depth, soil-moisture content, and permafrost variability. Cluster analysis of the LiDAR and geophysical attributes revealed the presence of three spatial zones, which had unique distributions of geomorphic, hydrological, thermal, and geochemical properties. The correspondence between the LiDAR-based geomorphic zonation and the geophysics-based active-layer and permafrost zonation highlights the significant linkage between these ecosystem compartments. This study suggests the potential of combining LiDAR and surface geophysical measurements for providing high-resolution information about land-surface and subsurface properties as well as their spatial variations and linkages, all of which are important for quantifying terrestrial-ecosystem evolution and feedbacks to climate.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)149-169
Number of pages21
JournalHydrogeology Journal
Volume21
Issue number1
DOIs
StatePublished - Feb 2013
Externally publishedYes

Funding

The Next-Generation Ecosystem Experiments (NGEE Arctic) project is supported by the Office of Biological and Environmental Research in the DOE Office of Science. This NGEE-Arctic research is supported through contract number DE-AC0205CH11231 to Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory and through contract DE-AC05-00OR22725 to Oak Ridge National Laboratory. Funding for Alessio Gusmeroli was provided by the Alaska Climate Science Center, funded by Cooperative Agreement Number G10AC00588 from the United States Geological Survey. The authors thank Margaret Torn and Christina Chastanha (both LBNL) for providing guidance on the core sample carbon analysis; Bob Busey (University of Alaska at Fairbanks) for the graduated tile probe design; Drs. A. Kemna and M. Weigand at University of Bonn for providing the 2D complex resistivity imaging code; and Roman Shekhtman of UBC for providing the EM inversion code EM1DFM. Logistical support in Barrow was provided by UMIAQ, LLC. The contents of the study are solely the responsibility of the authors and do not necessarily represent the official views of the author’s institutions.

Keywords

  • Active layer
  • Alaska
  • Geomorphology
  • Geophysical characterization
  • Permafrost

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