US-GERMANY workshop and joined field survey in the Arctic: Initiating a new collaboration with the COPER group (Alfred-Wegener-Institute) through a joined field survey.

Virginia Polytechnic Institute And State University, Blacksburg VA

Investigators

Abstract

a non-technical explanation This proposal requests travel funds for PI Stark and an U.S. graduate student to join the upcoming COPER (Coastal permafrost erosion, organic carbon and nutrient release to the Arctic nearshore zone, at the Alfred-Wegener-Institute in Potsdam, Germany) field expedition to the Southern Beaufort Sea, and conduct geotechnical in-situ profiling and sampling of sediment for following geotechnical laboratory experiments as a complement to the scheduled geomorphological, sedimentological, geological and geochemical investigations of the COPER group. The proposed study, collaboration and following research efforts will contribute to fill the gaps of knowledge regarding coastal erosion in the Arctic and long-term development of Arctic coastlines. The results will improve the assessments of impacts of climate change on the Arctic, and the development of countermeasures to secure environments and habitats. The gained experiences will be transferred into PI Stark?s Coastal and Marine Geotechnics classes, and will make students aware of the emerging field of coastal geotechnical engineering in the polar regions. a technical description The proposed collaborative work will widen the knowledge of geotechnical survey strategies and erosion processes in polar coastal zones, will be applicable also for industrial purposes or other research questions, and might pave the way for more cost- and time-efficient geotechnical surveys in the coastal polar zones. Climate change and the resulting change of the polar regions is one of the most challenging and recognized modern issues for sciences, engineering, as well as society. Rapid changes in the permafrost are certainly one of the most pressing issues, including the impact on physical and geotechnical coastal sediment properties, and the resulting consequences for coastal erosion. Nevertheless, the processes governing Arctic coastal erosion are still poorly understood. One of the factors that potentially influences coastal erosion in the Arctic, but has not been addressed in previous studies, is the impact of changes in geotechnical properties of the sediments in the nearshore zone following variations in the permafrost level. Dr. Hugues Lantuit, chief scientist of the COPER group (Coastal permafrost erosion, organic carbon and nutrient release to the Arctic nearshore zone, at the Alfred-Wegener-Institute in Potsdam, Germany) has recognized this gap of knowledge within the COPER studies, and initiated discussions with PI Dr. Nina Stark, assistant professor in Civil and Environmental Engineering at Virginia Tech, who is specialized on geotechnical field surveying in coastal zones. Lantuit will provide infrastructure and support during the expedition, co-supervise the U.S. graduate student, and share COPER data for survey planning and following joined publications. The data set will secure long-term collaborations via following testing of the samples and joined publications, and will serve as a proof-of-concept for a larger study aiming for the geotechnical investigation of the Arctic nearshore zone with regard to coastal erosion. The proposed work will also allow insights into Arctic and international research for a U.S. graduate student, and will possibly pave the way to make geotechnical investigations of polar coastal environments one of PI Stark?s future research foci.