Unraveling the Combined Effects of Ice and Permafrost on Arctic Delta Morphodynamics

Piliouras, Anastasia; Lauzon, R.; Rowland, J. C.

doi:10.1029/2020jf005706

Cited by 23 publications

(25 citation statements)

References 60 publications

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“…Metric names, brief descriptions, and sources are provided below and in Table 3. Surface metrics are computed for the years 100-500 of the model runs to avoid measuring properties associated with the initial stages of delta formation (Piliouras et al, 2021 To compute the surface metrics, we obtain a set of binary masks following methods described in Lauzon et al (2019) and Liang, Kim, and Passalacqua (2016). The shoreline was identified using the opening angle method (Shaw et al, 2008), with a search angle of 75° (after Liang, Kim, & Passalacqua, 2016).…”

Section: Model Output Quantification: Surface Metricsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Linking the Surface and Subsurface in River Deltas—Part 1: Relating Surface and Subsurface Geometries

Hariharan

Michael

et al. 2021

Water Resources Research

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River deltas are densely populated regions of the world with vulnerable groundwater reserves. Contamination of these groundwater aquifers via saline water intrusion and pollutant transport is a growing threat due to both anthropogenic and climate changes. The arrangement and composition of subsurface sediment is known to have a significant impact on aquifer contamination; however, developing accurate depictions of the subsurface is challenging. In this work, we explore the relationship between surface and subsurface properties and identify the metrics most sensitive to different forcing conditions. To do so, we simulate river delta evolution with the rule‐based numerical model, DeltaRCM, and test the influence of input sand fraction and steady sea level rise (SLR) on delta evolution. From the model outputs, we measure a variety of surface and subsurface metrics chosen based on their applicability to imagery and modeling results. The Kullback‐Leibler (KL) divergence is then used to quantitatively gauge which metrics are most indicative of the imposed forcings. Both qualitative observations and the KL divergence analysis suggest that estimates of subsurface connectivity can be constrained using surface information. In particular, more variable shoreline roughness values and higher surface wetted fraction values correspond to increased subsurface connectivity. These findings complement traditional methods of estimating subsurface structure in river‐dominated delta systems and represent a step toward the identification of a direct link between surface observations and subsurface form.

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Section: Model Output Quantification: Surface Metricsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Linking the Surface and Subsurface in River Deltas—Part 1: Relating Surface and Subsurface Geometries

Hariharan

Michael

et al. 2021

Water Resources Research

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“…Any future changes in discharge will also be concurrent with degradation of permafrost (Hinzman et al., 2005). Permafrost degradation impacts Arctic lakes in several ways, including increased erosion rates (Piliouras et al., 2021), increased subsurface connectivity due to active layer thickening (Connon et al., 2014; Walvoord & Kurylyk, 2016), and resulting lake area loss and drainage (Brubaker et al., 2014; Marsh et al., 2009; Nitze et al., 2017; Smith et al., 2005) or expansion (Nitze et al., 2017; Smith et al., 2005). Residents of Nuiqsut are already reporting drying tributaries and loss of connectivity due to increased infilling and drainage as well as resulting concerns about fish migration and travel hazards (Brubaker et al., 2014).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Functional Lake‐to‐Channel Connectivity Impacts Lake Ice in the Colville Delta, Alaska

2021

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“…Simulations used the DeltaRCM numerical delta model , implemented in Python as pyDeltaRCM (Moodie, Hariharan, Barefoot, & Passalacqua, in review). DeltaRCM has been robustly validated (Liang, Ge-leynse, Edmonds, & Passalacqua, 2015b; and used to examine delta morphology and evolution under various external forcings, including sea-level rise , and presence of vegetation (Lauzon & Murray, 2018), and ice and permafrost (Lauzon, Piliouras, & Rowland, 2019;Piliouras, Lauzon, & Rowland, 2021). The perturbation was modeled as instantaneous vertical land movement (i.e., displacement without hanging-wall rotation or translation), with channel evolution and geometry before and following displacement emerging based on model boundary conditions (Supporting Information).…”

Section: Simulating Faulting-induced Subsidence Across a Range Of Scalesmentioning

confidence: 99%

When does faulting-induced subsidence drive distributary network reorganization?

Moodie¹,

Passalacqua²

2022

Preprint

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Deltas exhibit spatially and temporally variable subsidence, including vertical displacement due to movement along fault planes. Faulting-induced subsidence perturbs delta-surface gradients, potentially causing distributary networks to shift sediment dispersal within the landscape. Sediment dispersal restricted to part of the landscape could hinder billion-dollar investments aiming to restore delta land, making faulting-induced subsidence a significant, yet unconstrained hazard to these projects. In this study, we modeled a range of displacement events in disparate deltaic environments, and observe that a channelized connection with the displaced area determines whether a distributary network reorganizes. When this connection exists, the magnitude of distributary network reorganization is predicted by a ratio relating dimensions of faulting-induced subsidence and channel geometry. We use this ratio to extend results to real-world deltas and assess hazards to deltaic-land building projects.

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Unraveling the Combined Effects of Ice and Permafrost on Arctic Delta Morphodynamics

Abstract: Deltas are vulnerable landscapes that are highly susceptible to climate change. High-latitude deltas face additional unique challenges arising from the thaw of permafrost (

Cited by 23 publications

References 60 publications

Linking the Surface and Subsurface in River Deltas—Part 1: Relating Surface and Subsurface Geometries

Linking the Surface and Subsurface in River Deltas—Part 1: Relating Surface and Subsurface Geometries

Functional Lake‐to‐Channel Connectivity Impacts Lake Ice in the Colville Delta, Alaska

When does faulting-induced subsidence drive distributary network reorganization?

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