Frost heave and thaw settlement in tundra environments: applications of differential global positioning system technology

Abstract

Technological advances in Differential Global Positioning Systems (DGPS), used in conjunction with specially designed survey targets, provide a means for accurately detecting frost heave and thaw settlement in cold environments, and for relating positions precisely in worldwide geodetic reference systems. Evidence acquired at West Dock and Flux Plot 3 in the Kuparuk River basin, North Slope of Alaska, confirm that DGPS is able to measure heave and thaw effectively and accurately at the centimeter-scale in tundra environments. Preliminary results indicate that heave and settlement show patterns of similar spatial variation to those of active-layer thickness (ALT), and weak to moderate correlations between ALT and heave/thaw. Preliminary DGPS results from Barrow, and a comparison with the records from the 1960s indicate that ground subsidence since the 1960s may have occurred. Results suggest that DGPS constitutes the current recommended approach for monitoring cryogenic phenomena and promises to be utilized for many years.