US Permafrost Association 2020 Annual Report FEBRUARY 28, 2021 February 28, 2021 The following document is the 2020 Annual Report of the United States Permafrost Association. The report details USPA’s 2020 activities and contains 28 individual reports from agencies, universities, institutes, and engineering and research organizations that are involved in the scientific and engineering investigations of permafrost. This year’s report includes 2021 Board of Directors an appendix with internet links to many organizational publications. I encourage you to take some time to read the report and to share it with Cathy Wilson other colleagues. President John Thornley I want to thank our 2020 institutional and corporate members and President-Elect sponsors for their continuing support (organizational logos are Susan Wilson illustrated in the report). Also, our more than 200 individual members Secretary are recognized and thanked as well. Without these organizations and Peppi Croft members, we would not be able to provide services to our members, the Treasurer general public, and the next generation of permafrost scientists and engineers. If you have not taken the opportunity to renew your John Zarling membership for 2021, it is easy to do so on the USPA website. I also Past-President want to thank the 2020 Board members and the chairs of the Torsten Mayrberger Membership and Communications committees for their help and Board Member guidance that they provided throughout the year. Jessica Ernakovich Board Member It has been an honor to serve as the 2020 President of USPA. I am looking Michelle Walvoord forward to 2021, our Regional Conference on Permafrost (RCOP) Board Member conference, hopefully the end of the pandemic, and sharing our collective expertise to advance the science and engineering of Anna Wagner permafrost forward. Board Member Helena Bergstedt Sincerely yours, PYRN Representative Fritz Nelson IPA Executive Committee Kevin Schaefer John P. Zarling, Ph.D., P.E. IPA Representative Past President, USPA Ed Yarmak IPA Representative U.S. Permafrost Association PO Box 750141 Fairbanks, AK 99775-0141 Email: [email protected] http://USPermafrost.org Table of Contents The Year in Review ................................................................................................................................ 1 Institutional Member Reports ............................................................................................................. 3 Massive Ice Geophysical Institute Permafrost Laboratory, University of Alaska Institute of Northern Engineering, Water and Environmental Research Center, Univ. of Alaska National Snow and Ice Data Center, University of Colorado Ice Wedge International Arctic Research Center, University of Alaska University of Virginia Woodwell Climate Research Center Ice Vein American Geosciences Institute Center for Snow and Avalanche Studies Systems Ecology Laboratory, University of Texas at El Paso U.S. Arctic Research Commission Corporate Member Reports ................................................................................................................ 8 Lifetime Arctic Foundations, Anchorage, Alaska Ice Wedge ABR Inc., Fairbanks and Anchorage, Alaska Alaska Ecoscience, Fairbanks, Alaska Geo-Watersheds Scientific, Fairbanks, Alaska Agency/ Organization Reports .............................................................................................................. 9 Alaska Department of Natural Resources, Division of Geological & Geophysical Surveys American Society of Civil Engineers Oak Ridge National Laboratory U.S. Army Cold Regions Research and Engineering Laboratory U.S. Geological Survey University Reports ............................................................................................................................... 13 George Washington University Michigan State University Penn State University University of Alaska Anchorage, Department of Civil Engineering University of Alaska Fairbanks, Alaska Geobotany Center University of New Hampshire Network Reports ................................................................................................................................. 16 Permafrost Carbon Network Permafrost Young Researchers Network (PYRN) Permafrost Collaboration Team In Memoriam to U.S. Permafrost Colleagues .................................................................................... 18 Acknowledgements: Corporate and Institutional Members and Sponsors .................................... 18 Links and Citations .............................................................................................................................. 19 2020 UPEF AGU Awardees ................................................................................................................ 23 ii Citation: Brown, J., Wilson, S, & Lilly, M.R. (Eds.) 2021. US Permafrost Association 2020 Annual Report, US Permafrost Association. Fairbanks, Alaska. 24 pages. iii The Year in Review testimonials of the awardees’ experiences in their virtual AGU sessions. Due to COVID-19 restrictions, the Annual The USPA appointed Peppi Croft of Meeting of the U.S. Permafrost Association Shannon and Wilson Incorporated in Fairbanks (USPA) was held virtually on December 15 to as the chair of the Permafrost Engineering coincide with the Fall Meeting of the American Education Program (PEEP). We thank Geophysical Union (AGU) in San Francisco, Margaret Rudolph, the retiring Chair, for her CA. Participating in the meeting were many innovative contributions to the PEEP. approximately 50 members including Board The Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion and Committee members. Recording of the Advisory (DEI) Committee, chaired by Cathy Zoom meeting, organized by Kevin Schaefer Wilson, was organized during the year. with the assistance of John Zarling and Cathy The Membership Committee, chaired by Wilson, is available on the USPA website. Jerry Brown, reported a final 2020 membership Results of the Board of Directors elections of 224, an increase from last year’s 171. were announced. During the past year and in Included are three new Lifetime Members, 51 order to provide opportunities for increased student/PRYN members, and ten Corporate diversity, the Board approved two additional and nine Institutional members. Membership elected Board positions. The 2020 ballot represents 47 universities, seven federal resulted in John Thornley, President-Elect, agencies, two state agencies, 30 States and Susan Wilson, Secretary for a second term; and members from several other countries (see Jessica Ernakovich and Michelle Walvoord as attached map for additional demographics). new Members-at-Large. Anna Wagner was Nicholas Hassan, University of Alaska appointed by the Board to fill the remaining graduate student, the U.S. National new position. Continuing on the Board are: Representative on the PYRN Council, replaces John Zarling, Past-President; Peppi Croft, Stephanie James on the Committee as the Treasurer; Torsten Mayrberger, Member-at- PYRN representative. Large, Kevin Schaefer and Edward Yarmak, USPA continued to develop plans for the both U.S. Representatives to the Council of the IPA Regional Conference on Permafrost International Permafrost Association and Fritz (RCOP) and 19th International Conference on Nelson as representative of the IPA Executive Cold Regions Engineering (ICCRE) under the Committee. These latter three attended the leadership of Tom Douglas. Due in large part virtual IPA Council meeting in June 2020. to COVID-19, the conference has been delayed Helena Bergstedt was selected to replace to October 24-29, 2021 as an all-virtual Matthew Whitley as PYRN Board Member. meeting with some potential in-person events Mark Bennett retired from the Board and his in Boulder, Colorado and elsewhere. The services, as well as those of Matthew, are conference theme is "Permafrost Dynamics in gratefully acknowledged. Polar and Alpine Environments” and is co- USPA-PYRN Education Fund (UPEF) organized by USPA, UC Boulder and the provided four grants to cover registration costs American Society of Civil Engineers. The associated with the AGU Fall Meeting. These conference website is accessible through the awards were made to: Raven Mitchell USPA website and includes the growing list of (Michigan State University), Allison Tryka sponsors. The ASCE’s Cold Regions (Portland State University), Mary Farina Engineering Division, is completing the review (Montana State University), and Sara Sayedi of 35 papers, under the leadership of Jon Zufelt, (Brigham Young University). The UPEF that are to be published in its proceedings Committee, chaired by Kelsey Nyland, was volume. responsible for solicitation of applications and With the coordination of the the review process. See appendix for Communications Committee (CC), chaired by 1 Michael Lilly, the American Geosciences presenting were 49 USPA members including Institute (AGI) continued to provide the 14 students. monthly catalog of world-wide, permafrost Michael Lilly, President, Geo Watershed literature. In 2020, the Permafrost Monthly Scientific (GWS), informed the USPA that the Alert (PMA) program added 850 accessions growing and extensive technical, including 545 conference abstracts. For 2020, administrative staff and fiscal accounting PMA content inquiries (views by individual support provided to USPA, would by necessity readers) exceeded 12,900 user visits and since be scaled backed. The Board of Directors of the starting in 2012