Integrated Research Program for Cold Regions Hydrogeology

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Owing to climate change, the Arctic is rapidly warming which is causing observable changes in cold-regions hydrology. An important control on the movement of water in the arctic subsurface is permafrost, ground that is continuously frozen. As permafrost thaws, it allows a large volume of groundwater to flow through the subsurface, which is thought to be partially responsible for an increase in the export of carbon from the arctic, as dissolved organic carbon, methane and other greenhouse gases. This, in turn, will cause even more warming, a theory called the arctic-permafrost feedback. The long-term objective of my proposed research is to study the interaction between groundwater and permafrost and its role in driving the arctic-permafrost feedback. My short-term objectives are to (1) develop a new innovative groundwater model that simulates groundwater flow, permafrost, and solute transport, (2) increase our understanding of groundwater-permafrost interactions through integrating laboratory studies, field work, and theoretical modeling, and (3) quantify the importance of increased groundwater mobility as a driver of northern environmental and climate change. This proposal builds on my previous Discovery Grant (2012-2017) which focused on groundwater in cold regions, including permafrost settings and the glaciated Peruvian Andes.