UNIVERSITY OF COPENH AGEN Active Layer Modelling and Flocculation Processes in the Disko Area, West Greenland Field and Methods Course – Greenland 2014 Block 4 and block 1 Jeppe Dalskov Frederiksen Andreas Elmelund Hass Andreas Hvam Hoffmann Paulina Karkauskaite Britt Gadsbølle Larsen Tue Mariager Ellen Lindholt Nissen Marta Merino Ramos 0 Contents Foreword .................................................................................................................................................................. 2 Climate change in the arctic regions .............................................................................................................. 4 Permafrost investigation .................................................................................................................................... 4 Glacial Runoff investigation .............................................................................................................................. 7 Study Area description ........................................................................................................................................ 7 Climatology of Disko Island ............................................................................................................................. 10 Solar radiation and albedo .......................................................................................................................... 10 Temperature and precipitation ................................................................................................................ 11 Bioclimatic zones of Disko Island .................................................................................................................. 12 Vegetation .............................................................................................................................................................. 13 Vegetation and its response to bioclimatic zones shift .................................................................... 14 Geology of Disko Island ..................................................................................................................................... 15 Pedology of Disko Island .................................................................................................................................. 16 References .............................................................................................................................................................. 18 Appendix 1 - Field schedule and procedures ........................................................................................... 20 Article 1: Flocculation processes in the Disko Fjord area (Western Greenland) and cloudburst effects on the Flocculation…………………………….……………………………………………...21 Article 2: Edaphic Factor of Soils in Blæsedalen, Disko Island - A Pedological Study of the Abiotic Factors Controlling the Edaphic Factor………………………………….…………………….…..…36 Article 3: Nt-factor for Disko Island based on NDVI...……………………………………………….….....52 Article 4: Estimating Degree Days of Thaw for Disko Island using satellite imagery………...63 Article 5: Potential Radiation Index for Disko Island……………………………………………………...81 Article 6: Modelling of Active Layer Thickness of Disko Island……………………………………..…91 1 Foreword The Department of Geoscience and Natural Resource Management and the Faculty of Sciences at University of Copenhagen continue to emphasize the importance of conducting a field course in Arctic Physical Geography at Arctic Station, Qeqertarsuaq (Godhavn), Disko Island, West Greenland. Hence, every fourth year this course enables a selected group of students enrolled at University of Copenhagen to perform their own research projects in close collaboration with a supervisor. The projects are carefully prepared and the planning started five months in advance to the beginning of the field course. The field course provides for the first time the possibility to experience the Arctic environment in a three- dimensional space. Furthermore, the practical projects deliver a significant hands-on experience that not even the best textbook will be able to encompass. With the persistent national and international interest in the Arctic environment and the numerous ongoing studies addressing the effects of global warming on the Arctic climate it is of outmost importance that students for years to come are given the opportunity to do research and learn about the Arctic in general. The Field Course in Physical Geography 2014 took place between 1-15 of August at Disko in West Greenland. In total 8 students participated in the course and have now completed the different parts: Preparations i.e., fine-tuning of projects, packing of equipment and the actual field course in Greenland. This report represents the final part for the course. The course was organized and lead by Birger Ulf Hansen and Thor Markussen. The aim of the Field Course in Physical Geography 2014 was to investigate: 1) Flocculation processes in the Disko Fjord area and cloudburst effects on the flocculation. 2) Edaphic Factor of Soils in Blæsedalen, Disko Island - A Pedological Study of the Abiotic Factors Controlling the Edaphic Factor. 3) Nt-factor for Disko Island based on NDVI. 4) Estimating Degree Days of Thaw for Disko Island using satellite imagery. 5) Potential Radiation Index for Disko Island. 6) Modelling of Active Layer Thickness of Disko Island. The combination of these six parts can provide new insight with respect to the current and future sediment transport and permafrost thawing within the study area taken current and future climate trends into account. The southern part of “Blæsedalen” was chosen as the study area due to that the landscape is fairly well-described and due to the presence of all landscape types representative for the Arctic environment. Part of the course has been directly linked to CENPERM – a centre of excellence, which will integrate hypothesis-based studies of biogeochemical and physical processes in a "climate-vegetation-soil- microorganism-permafrost" context. Therefore, several other people took part in the field work at Disko this summer including Anders Michelsen, Cecilie Skov Nielsen, Daan Blok, Frida Lindwall, Jens Gammeltoft and Kent Pørksen, Kerstin Elise Krøier Rasmussen. Thanks to 8 enthusiastic students, the CENPERM Center, Arctic Station (including Ole Stecher, Gitte Henriksen, Kjeld Akaaraq Mølgaard, Erik, Søren and Otto) as well as Faculty of Science, University of Copenhagen for financial supporting this Field Course in Physical Geography. October 2014 Birger Hansen (Course responsible) 2 Back row: Birger Ulf Hansen, Jeppe Dalskov Frederiksen, Andreas Hvam Hoffmann, Andreas Elmelund Hass, Tue Mariager and Thor Markussen Front row: Kjeld Akaaraq Mølgaard, Britt Gadsbølle Larsen, Marta Merino Ramos, Kerstin Elise Krøier Rasmussen, Ellen Lindholt Nissen, Paulina Karkauskaite 3 warming will continue in the Arctic region and Climate change in the arctic regions substantially exceed the global average over the The occurrence of increase in surface air coming century (Miller et. al, 2010). One of the temperatures is evident globally (IPCC, 2013). most significant positive feedbacks to the rising However, the intensity of climate forcing is temperatures is melting of the sea and inland ice, highest in the Arctic Region, where temperature which leads to sea level rise and glacial runoff rise is exceeding the tendencies of the rest of (Ibid.). These changes result in decreased surface Northern Hemisphere and the global average albedo, owing to increased air temperature and (Figure 1) (Serreze et. al, 2006). This thawing of the frozen ground areas that further phenomenon of accelerated warming in the high induce temperature rise (Ibid.) In order to latitudes of the Northern Hemisphere is account for the mentioned impacts, it is acknowledged as Arctic Amplification and is important to investigate the processes occurring mainly caused by positive feedbacks occurring in within the cryosphere’s components of the high the cryosphere, comprised of snow, river and latitudes (Miller et al, 2010). lake ice, sea ice, glaciers, ice shelves, ice sheets, This report will therefore focus on the Arctic and frozen ground (Miller et al, 2010; IPCC, 2013). region, more precisely Disko Island in West According to various climate change models, Greenland, in order to investigate processes and amplified components of permafrost and glacial runoff. Figure 1 – Global temperature anomalies acquired for the period of January 1, 2000 - December 31, 2009. A twice so fast increase is apparent within the high latitudes of the Northern Hemisphere. Source: NASA Earth Observatory Permafrost investigation Permafrost is considered to play an important Frozen ground, also known as permafrost is a role in the climate change research due to its perennially frozen ground that remained at the inherent sensitivity to changes in surface temperatures below 0˚ for at least two temperatures and snow cover, as well as constitutive years. (Riseborough et. al, 2008) influence on energy exchanges, hydrological 4 processes, natural hazards and carbon budgets of temperatures contributing to further ground the global climate system. (Riseborough et. al, thaw. (Hollesen et al, 2011). It is estimated, that 2008) It is particularly essential to ascertain permafrost covers around one fourth of the permafrost trends and characteristics in the Northern Hemisphere area, and it contains Arctic