Talik detection beneath water tracks using three-dimensional Ground-Penetrating Radar
(2025) BE-Polar Conference 2025 — Location: Bruxelles (11.September.2025)
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- Abstract
- Permafrost thaw is increasing the risk of talik formation and expansion. Taliks are unfrozen soil layers that persist year-round that influence carbon cycling and hydrological connectivity in permafrost regions. This study aims to locate and image suprapermafrost taliks using Ground-Penetrating Radar (GPR) in winter conditions at Eight Mile Lake, Alaska, within a discontinuous permafrost zone. Taliks were detected in a large proportion of the surveyed area, especially within water tracks and subsided zones. Taliks tended to be shallower and thicker downslope, where permafrost degradation was more advanced. GPR was effective at detecting talik tops, but limited penetration restricted detection of their bottoms. Water tracks seem to be hotspots for talik formation due to their slight subsidence, greater snow accumulation and higher soil moisture. This has important consequences for the site’s hydrological connectivity, even during wintertime.
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Henrion, M., Opfergelt, S., Villani, M., Roux, P., Verleene, D., du Bois d’Aische, E., Denis, G., Schuur, E. A. G., Jonard, F., Vanacker, V., Van Oost, K., & Lambot, S. (2025). Talik detection beneath water tracks using three-dimensional Ground-Penetrating Radar. BE-Polar Conference 2025, Bruxelles. https://hdl.handle.net/2078.5/266378