SitS: Collaborative Research: Understand and forecast long-term variations of in-situ geophysical and geomechanical characteristics of degrading permafrost in the Arctic

SitS：合作研究：了解和预测北极退化永久冻土原位地球物理和地质力学特征的长期变化

• 批准号: 2034366
• 负责人: Eileen Martin
• 金额: $ 21.62万
• 依托单位: Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2021
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2021-01-01 至 2024-12-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=2034366&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: SitS; Collaborative; Research; Understand; forecast

Climate change is resulting in warming of the permafrost across the Arctic and sub-Arctic, which results in changes in the geological and mechanical properties of soils. Quantifying the changes in soil properties are critical for both understanding the natural environment and assessing the effects of these changes on the existing and future built infrastructure, both of which have long-lasting societal impacts. This project will embed fiber optic sensing cables into the ground in an Alaskan coastal community. Fiber-optic-sensed signals will be converted into the geological and geomechanical properties of the ground material and then used to quantitatively forecast future impacts on permafrost properties. The project outcomes will enable realistic evaluation of the performances of infrastructure in Arctic Alaska and improve the design of more robust infrastructure in the Arctic. The research team will actively recruit and train women scientists and engineers through convergent research, and the research team will be involved in educational and outreach activities in Utqiaġvik, Alaska’s indigenous community.The goal of this project is to understand and forecast long-term variations of in-situ geophysical and geomechanical characteristics of the active layer and permafrost in Arctic Alaska using an innovative sensing technology, data transmission and analysis, and modeling. Through advances in sensor systems and modeling, the project will transform existing capabilities for understanding dynamic, near-surface soil processes in the active layer and permafrost in an Arctic coastal community, thus generating quantitative knowledge of long-term and in-situ permafrost degradation in the Arctic due to climate change. Five tasks will be conducted: (1) develop and deploy a 1.5-kilometer-long fiber-optic distributed acoustic sensing (DAS) array in Utqiaġvik, Alaska for long-term in-situ permafrost monitoring; (2) develop innovative data transmission and analysis of DAS signals in permafrost and derive temperature-dependent S-wave and P-wave velocity profiles of changing permafrost in spatial and temporal scales; (3) obtain ground-truth measurements of geophysical and geomechanical properties through in-situ and laboratory characterizations; (4) develop correlations between geophysical and geomechanical properties of permafrost and S- and P-wave velocities as well as between permafrost temperature and S- and P-wave velocities; and (5) forecast future changes of geophysical and geomechanical properties of degrading permafrost. Research outcomes will directly inform current infrastructure evaluation and future infrastructure development in the North Slope Borough, Alaska. Methodology developed in this project will provide transformative and cost-effective geophysical and geotechnical monitoring in the Arctic and sub-Arctic regions.This award was made through the "Signals in the Soil (SitS)" solicitation, a collaborative partnership between the National Science Foundation and the United States Department of Agriculture National Institute of Food and Agriculture (USDA NIFA).This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.

气候变化导致北极和亚北极地区的永久冻土变暖，从而导致土壤的地质和机械特性发生变化。量化土壤性质的变化对于了解自然环境和评估这些变化对现有和未来建设的基础设施的影响至关重要，这两者都具有长期的社会影响。该项目将把光纤传感电缆嵌入阿拉斯加沿海社区的地下。光纤传感信号将被转换成地面材料的地质和地质力学特性，然后用于定量预测未来对永久冻土特性的影响。该项目的成果将有助于对阿拉斯加北极地区基础设施的性能进行现实的评估，并改善北极地区更强大的基础设施的设计。该研究小组将通过聚合研究积极招募和培训女科学家和工程师，研究小组将参与阿拉斯加土著社区Utqiagivik的教育和外联活动，该项目的目标是利用创新的传感技术，了解和预测阿拉斯加北极活动层和永久冻土的现场地球物理和地质力学特征的长期变化，数据传输和分析以及建模。通过传感器系统和建模方面的进展，该项目将改变现有能力，以了解北极沿海社区活动层和永久冻土中的动态近地表土壤过程，从而产生关于气候变化导致北极永久冻土长期和原地退化的定量知识。将开展五项工作：（1）在阿拉斯加州的Utqiagivik开发和部署一个1.5米长的光纤分布式声学传感（DAS）阵列，用于长期原位永久冻土监测;（2）开发永久冻土中DAS信号的创新数据传输和分析，并推导出空间和时间尺度上变化的永久冻土的温度相关S波和P波速度剖面;（3）通过现场和实验室表征获得地球物理和地质力学性质的地面真实测量结果：（4）建立冻土的地球物理和地质力学性质与S波和P波速度之间以及冻土温度与S波和P波速度之间的相关性;（5）预测退化多年冻土的地球物理和地质力学性质的未来变化。研究成果将直接为阿拉斯加北坡自治市当前的基础设施评估和未来的基础设施发展提供信息。该项目开发的方法将在北极和亚北极地区提供变革性和具有成本效益的地球物理和岩土工程监测。该奖项是通过“土壤中的信号（SitS）”征集获得的，国家科学基金会和美国农业部国家粮食和农业研究所之间的合作伙伴关系该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的知识价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。