Expressions of Intent for International Polar Year 2007-2008 Activities

Expression of Interest Details

PROPOSAL INFORMATION

Permafrost and Climate in the European North Atlantic Sector  (PolarPACE)

Outline
The PolarPACE project focuses on permafrost and geomorphic processes within the European polar land areas around the North Atlantic, including Scandinavia, Svalbard, Iceland and East Greenland. This North Atlantic zone (40ºW-30ºE) shows a variety of permafrost conditions and is highly sensitive to global climate change, with likely major impacts on permafrost and associated periglacial geomorphic processes. Permafrost thermal measurements will form a component of the International Permafrost Association IPY proposal “Thermal State of Permafrost” (IPA TSP). PolarPACE will establish an integrated system of instrumented stations in north-south and west-east transects to observe permafrost temperatures, controlling climatic variables, and associated geomorphological processes. Research will focus on the critical factors influencing the permafrost thermal condition and linkage with thermal offset, vegetation, snowcover, hydrological status and geomorphic activity. Results will provide baseline data against which to assess future climate impacts and will contribute significantly to evaluation of likely impacts of permafrost degradation on human infrastructure (housing, roads, pipelines). Three deep (100 - 129 m) permafrost boreholes at Juvasshøe, Jotunheimen Norway, (1894m a.s.l,), Tarfalaryggen, N. Sweden, (1540m a.s.l.); and Janssonhaugen, Svalbard, (275m a.s.l.), established under the EU 4th Framework PACE program will provide reference thermal data. In addition, in Norway 14 and in Iceland 4 shallow permafrost boreholes (up to 30 m) will underpin the PolarPACE field measurement framework. In Svalbard, The University Courses in Svalbard (UNIS) will provide logistical and scientific support, and process studies in East Greenland will utilise the Zackenberg Field Station, in co-operation with the Danish Polar Center. This framework for investigating interaction between permafrost geothermal regime and geomorphic processes will encompass the first four tiers of the WMO Global Hierarchical Observing Strategy (GHOST), with Tier 1 involving large transects along environmental gradients, Tier 2 high-resolution process studies, Tier 3: providing regional observations and Tier 4 mapping permafrost distribution coupled with ground thermal conditions. Research Objectives include • Assessment of permafrost thermal condition and sensitivity to air temperature, snow cover etc. in the European North Atlantic Polar sector. • Evaluation of ground-ice distribution and hydrological conditions in the active layer and near-surface permafrost. • Measurement of physical properties of soil and rock in the active-layer and permafrost (permeability, thermal conductivity, particle size, specific area etc.) • Monitoring and numerical modelling of geomorphic processes (frost heave, solifluction, deep seated slope movements, rock fall). • Development of process-based GIS spatial models. • Provision of baseline data for future climate impact assessment.

What significant advance(s) in relation to the IPY themes and targets can be anticipated from this project?
Theme 1: The proposed field measurements will provide new integrative data concerning the present day status of permafrost-terrain process systems. Theme 2: The research framework will provide both baseline data and the infrastructure necessary to measure and monitor future change in the Polar environment. In addition, field measurement will support development of process-based modeling procedures for predicting likely impacts of climate warming. Theme 6: Warming and thawing of permafrost terrain has major impacts on infrastructure and local communities. Outcomes of Themes 1 and 2 will contribute to improved engineering design and environmental management

What international collaboration is involved in this project?
The proposed research programme will include collaboration between research teams from Norway, Sweden, Iceland,Denmark and the United Kingdom. The project will also contribute to the International Permafrost Association IPY initiative “Thermal State of Permafrost”, which will co-ordinate a global scale permafrost measurement programme. q2_1_Location : The European North Atlantic Polar Sector, including Scandinavia, Svalbard, Iceland and East Greenland.

FIELD ACTIVITY DETAILS

Geographical location(s) for the proposed field activities:
The European North Atlantic Polar Sector, including Scandinavia, Svalbard, Iceland and East Greenland.

Approximate timeframe(s) for proposed field activities:
Arctic: 2006-2009            
Antarctic: n/a

Significant facilities will be required for this project:
Helicopter support may be required in remote locations, and this could be shared with other projects. Existing logistical support from UNIS in Svalbard and the Zackenberg Field Station in East Greenland will be utilised.

Will the project leave a legacy of infrastructure?
PolarPACE will establish a system of instrumented field monitoring stations designed to allow long-term thermal and geomorphological measurements. Such data will be critically important in assessing likely impacts of climate change.

How is it envisaged that the required logistic support will be secured?
Own national polar operator
Another national polar operator
National agency
Own support
Other sources of support

National funding will be sought, but collaboration between research groups will facilitate field instrumentation and data analysis. It is anticipated that younger scientists will participate in international working visits to collaborating laboratories, taking advantage of existing European exchange schemes

Has the project been "endorsed" at a national or international level?
This proposal arises from international collaboration between members of the International Permafrost Association and the European Science Foundation PACE21 Networking Programme. The project will contribute to the IPA IPY “Thermal State of Permafrost” programme. It has been endorsed by the IPA. National endorsement is pending.

PROJECT MANAGEMENT AND STRUCTURE

Is the project a short-term expansion (over the IPY 2007-2008 timeframe) of an existing plan, programme or initiative or is it a new autonomous proposal?
New

This is a new proposal, but arises directly from international collaborative research programs PACE (EU 4th Framework 1997-2001) and PACE21 (ESF Network (2002-2005).

How will the project be organised and managed?
The PolarPACE programme will be managed through a Steering Committee under the leadership of the Lead Contact for this proposal. Although individual research teams will have slightly different priorities, the Steering Committee will ensure that field measurements follow agreed protocols, to ensure comparability between data sets. This is particularly important for the thermal measurements. Steering Committee meetings will be held at least twice per year during the lifetime of the programme, and contributing partners will submit annual reports on progress and research outcomes.

What are the initial plans of the project for addressing the education, outreach and communication issues outlined in the Framework document?
A PolarPACE IPY advanced permafrost field course is planned at UNIS, Svalbard. Logistical support including registration of international students, will be provided by UNIS. In addition, a feature of the PolarPACE programme will be international exchange visits between young researchers, enabling them to spend time in the laboratories of collaborating institutions.

What are the initial plans of the project to address data management issues (as outlined in the Framework document?
The GTN-P data centre managed by the Geological Survey of Canada (www.gtnp.org) will provide data archiving and metadata storage for all borehole measurements. Final borehole data sets will contribute to the IPA IPY TSP Programme to be archived at NSIDC with an initial Legacy CD for the 2008 NICOP.

How is it proposed to fund the project?
National funding agencies.

Is there additional information you wish to provide?
This proposal seeks to build on the highly effective and productive collaboration between permafrost scientists in Europe that has developed over the past decade. High levels of scientific expertise has been established through past and on-going international research programmes. A key objective will be to include young PhD and Masters students to provide them with an international context for their research activities, and the opportunity for research and training in collaborating institutions.

PROPOSER DETAILS

Pro Charles Harris
Cardiff University
School of Earth, Ocean and Planetary Sciences.
Cardiff
CF10 3YE
UK

Tel: +44 (0) 2920 874336
Mobile: +44 07981839641
Fax: +44 (0) 2920 874326
Email:

Other project members and their affiliation