Infiltration and near surface water flow in seasonally frozen landscapes

该研究项目旨在提高我们对季节性冻土中渗透和近地表水运动的理解，以便更好地量化和管理我们的水资源。近地表环境通常被称为“临界区”，因为水，空气和土壤的复杂相互作用维持生命。许多关键地带的过程是独特的改变，在地区，如加拿大，经历季节性冻融循环。水进入（称为渗透）和通过部分冻结土壤的能力往往会发生显着变化，难以预测。鉴于该区域的水流最终决定了河流流量、地下水补给和污染物运动的大小和时间，因此我们必须了解冰冻景观中的水运动，以便可持续地管理这一宝贵资源。新的实验室和现场实验将填补我们对冻土水文学的理解中的关键空白，包括控制融雪事件（冬季中期和春季融化）期间水运动的重要过程以及这些过程在空间和时间上的变化。为了实现最大效益，研究将侧重于对水文过程知之甚少的问题，例如地面解冻期间的快速水运动以及不同土地覆盖和地形环境中的复杂反馈机制。所获得的科学知识将用于建立更现实的数字（计算机）模型，以量化临界区的水运动。使用先进的数值工具开发的模型将根据新获得的数据进行测试，以确保现实的预测。这项研究将立即应用于评估径流和地下水补给主要由融雪主导的广大地区的水文流量。水资源管理者和用户将受益于用于预测地表和地下水流的新工具（例如，洪水预报、地下水补给），使水资源的管理更加可持续。 从长远来看，研究结果将产生更准确的水文模型，从而更好地预测和减轻气候变化和土地使用对脆弱的季节性冰冻景观的不利影响。

This research program aims to improve our understanding of infiltration and near surface water movement in seasonally frozen ground, in order to better quantify and manage our water resources. The near surface environment is often termed the “critical zone” due to the complex interactions involving water, air, and soil that sustain life. Many critical zone processes are uniquely altered in regions, such as Canada, that experience seasonal freeze-thaw cycles. The ability of water to move into (termed infiltration) and through partially frozen soils is often dramatically altered and difficult to predict. Given that water flow in this zone ultimately governs the magnitude and timing of river flows, groundwater replenishment, and contaminant movement, it is crucial that we understand water movement in frozen landscapes in order to sustainably manage this valuable resource. Novel laboratory and field experiments will fill in key gaps in our understanding of frozen ground hydrology, including the important processes controlling water movement during snowmelt events (both mid-winter and spring melts) and the variability of these processes in space and time. To achieve maximal benefit, the research will focus on poorly understood hydrologic processes, such as rapid water movement during ground thaw and complex feedback mechanisms in different land cover and terrain settings. The scientific knowledge gained will be used to build more realistic numerical (computer) models for quantifying water movement in the critical zone. The models, developed using leading edge numerical tools, will be tested against the newly acquired data to ensure realistic predictions. The research will have immediate application for evaluating hydrologic flows in the vast regions where runoff and groundwater recharge are dominated by snowmelt. Water managers and users will benefit from new tools for predicting surface and subsurface flows (e.g., flood forecasting, groundwater recharge), enabling more sustainable management of water resources. In the long term, the findings will generate more accurate hydrologic models, leading to better prediction and mitigation of adverse impacts from changing climate and land-use in vulnerable, seasonally frozen landscapes.