10.24411/1728-323X-2018-14115

Section

Physical geography and biogeography, soil geography and landscape geochemistry

Title

RELIEF CHANGES OF THE PEAT PLATEAU WITH MELTING OF POLYGONAL-WEDGE ICE IN THE NORTHERN PART OF THE PUR-TAZ INTERFLUVE

Сontributors

E. M. Babkin, junior researcher, Earth Cryosphere Institute, Tyumen Scientific Centre, Siberian Branch of Russian Academy of Sciences (ECI Tyumen Scientific Centre SB RAS), Tyumen, Russia, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.;

A. V. Khomutov, Ph. D. (Geology and Mineralogy), leading researcher, Earth Cryosphere Institute, Tyumen Scientific Centre,

Siberian Branch of Russian Academy of Sciences (ECI Tyumen Scientific Centre SB RAS), senior researcher,

University of Tyumen (UTMN), Tyumen, Russia, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.;

Yu. A. Dvornikov, Ph. D. (Geology and Mineralogy), researcher, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.;

R. R. Khairullin, Ph. D. student, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.;

E. A. Babkina, junior researcher, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.;

Earth Cryosphere Institute, Tyumen Scientific Centre, Siberian Branch of Russian Academy of Sciences

(ECI Tyumen Scientific Centre SB RAS), Tyumen, Russia

Abstract

The last decade is notable by the activation of a number of cryogenic processes due to climatic fluctuations in the Arctic, including the southerly border of continuous permafrost coverage in Western Siberia. In the presence of po- lygonal-wedge ice, the activation of processes related to melting of them is noted. In the northern part of the Pur-Taz interfluve, in the vicinity of the village of Gaz-Sale the work is held to assess (based on instrumental monitoring) relief changes of the peat plateau which is situated on a reduced surface of a khasyrei and contains melting of polygonal-wedge ice under the influence of natural cryogenic processes triggered by joint action of technogenic factors and climatic fluctuations. On the basis of the field research data of 2016—2017 the first results are presented for the surface of a peat pla-teau with degrading polygonal-wedge ice on the site without direct impact on mound of the road passing through the peat plateau. A com-parison of obtained digital elevation models revealed a significant deepening of gullies up to 87 cm per year at the sites of inter-polygonal depressions. The decrease of polygon area by 4.3 % on average was found. Since the existing materials give the opportunity to identify the relationship between climatic changes in the Holocene and transformation of peat plateaus, further detailed monitoring of the peat plateau with the study of the automobile road's thermal effect in combination with the data of cry- olithological structure, as well as the comparison to similar peat plateaus that have not experienced any technogenic impact, will allow us to get a clearer idea of direction and rates of cryolithozone relief evolution in this sector of the southerly border of permafrost coverage in Western Siberia.

Keywords

peat plateau, polygonal-wedge ice, digital elevation model, the Pur-Taz interfluve, cryolithozone, climatic fluctuations.

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