Water Flows in Rockwall Permafrost: a Numerical Approach Coupling Hydrological and Thermal Processes

Abstract

 Coupling thermal and hydrological processes is necessary to better understand rockwall permafrost dynamics and geomorphic processes  Water flows into bedrock fractures substantially affect permafrost aggradation and degradation patterns  Water accumulation into ice-cemented bedrock may cause significant hydrostatic pressures favoring rockwall destabilization

Estimating surface water availability in high mountain rock slopes using a numerical energy balance model

“…Water plays a key role in the initiation of mass wasting in mountainous periglacial landscapes (French, 2017). Surface water that infiltrates into fractures can transport heat by advection and lead to deep permafrost degradation with a thicker and earlier development of the active layer as compared to pure heat conduction (Hasler et al, 2011;Magnin and Josnin, 2021;Gruber and Haeberli, 2007). Water infiltration is also responsible for mechanical weakening of the rock (Krautblatter et al, 2013) and ice-bonded discontinuities (Haeberli et al, 2010).…”