Estimation of the subsea permafrost thickness in the Arctic Shelf
Abstract
The paper presents the results of mathematical modeling of the subsea permafrost dynamics and distribution on the East Arctic shelf. In this study the geographic distribution of the geothermal flow values was taken into account. Estimates of the permafrost thickness on the Laptev and the East Siberian seas shelf have been obtained. The depth of occurrence of the lower boundary of the frozen layer on the shelf was about 50-700 m. The position of the submarine permafrost upper boundary in the bottom sediments of the seas of the East Arctic substantially depends on the depth of the sea and the content of salts. It was found that the upper boundary of frozen rocks is located at a depth of 15-30 m below the seabed, depending on the shelf region. The increased heat flux leads to a significant decrease in the thickness of the submarine permafrost on the outer shelf and in the rift areas.
- Publication:
-
24th International Symposium on Atmospheric and Ocean Optics: Atmospheric Physics
- Pub Date:
- December 2018
- DOI:
- 10.1117/12.2504197
- Bibcode:
- 2018SPIE10833E..7TM