| NSF Org: |
EAR Division Of Earth Sciences |
| Recipient: |
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| Initial Amendment Date: | June 17, 2021 |
| Latest Amendment Date: | May 24, 2023 |
| Award Number: | 2136818 |
| Award Instrument: | Standard Grant |
| Program Manager: |
Justin Lawrence
jlawrenc@nsf.gov (703)292-2425 EAR Division Of Earth Sciences GEO Directorate for Geosciences |
| Start Date: | July 1, 2021 |
| End Date: | July 31, 2023 (Estimated) |
| Total Intended Award Amount: | $32,737.00 |
| Total Awarded Amount to Date: | $32,737.00 |
| Funds Obligated to Date: |
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| History of Investigator: |
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| Recipient Sponsored Research Office: |
216 MONTANA HALL BOZEMAN MT US 59717 (406)994-2381 |
| Sponsor Congressional District: |
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| Primary Place of Performance: |
Bozeman MT US 59717-3120 |
| Primary Place of
Performance Congressional District: |
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| Unique Entity Identifier (UEI): |
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| Parent UEI: |
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| NSF Program(s): |
ANS-Arctic Natural Sciences, XC-Crosscutting Activities Pro, Geomorphology & Land-use Dynam |
| Primary Program Source: |
0100XXXXDB NSF RESEARCH & RELATED ACTIVIT |
| Program Reference Code(s): |
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| Program Element Code(s): |
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| Award Agency Code: | 4900 |
| Fund Agency Code: | 4900 |
| Assistance Listing Number(s): | 47.050 |
ABSTRACT
The investigators will obtain permafrost cores to be collected in central Alaska by a local mining company for exploration purposes, allowing study of the physical and geochemical stability of permafrost and associated stored carbon as a function of sediment deposition and erosion. These cores will capture repeated hillslope transects in loess mantled bedrock with variable loess depth and underlying colluvium character. They could enable quantification of feedbacks among carbon, sediment and ice dynamics using novel geochemical tracers of erosion rates and ice and sediment age in stratigraphic context. The investigators aim to inform the distribution of carbon in permafrost landscapes whose fate will contribute to the potential warming feedback with carbon release upon permafrost thaw. The project will support investigators from historically underrepresented groups.
Study of these cores will provide novel insight on geomorphic controls in permafrost environments. Understanding geomorphic and geochemical landscape legacies will inform us of the trajectory of permafrost change and its resilience to environmental perturbations. Until downslope trends and permafrost hillslope stratigraphy are linked to rates and processes of sediment transport, the provenance and fate of stored carbon in these environments cannot be fully understood.
This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.
PROJECT OUTCOMES REPORT
Disclaimer
This Project Outcomes Report for the General Public is displayed verbatim as submitted by the Principal Investigator (PI) for this award. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this Report are those of the PI and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation; NSF has not approved or endorsed its content.
This RAPID project has leveraged activities of two industry partners to collect, analyze and archive key samples; share data; engage graduate and undergraduate students; develop partnerships; and launch a PhD project led by a Native Alaskan woman. By focusing on the role of geologic substrate and sediment transport in permafrost dynamics on hillslopes, this work begins to shed light on fundamental geomorphic processes regulating the resilience and vulnerability of ice and carbon in permafrost landscapes.
Our industry partners, Millrock Mining and Felix Gold, facilitated site access and supporting personnel, and provided summer employment for PhD student Zena Robert. As a seasonal employee, Ms. Robert was able to both conduct independent sampling, and access exploration data, drill core, and borehole waters for analysis and subsampling. Two additional students and the PIs provided field support and mentoring for these activities. The resulting datasets form the basis of Ms. Robert’s dissertation work on thermo-erosion gully formation and ground ice feedbacks in these hillslope environments. Ms. Robert developed her skills in field mapping, topographic analysis, and isotopic methodologies, and has augmented her work by successfully seeking additional funding for infrared stimulated luminescence dating, LiDAR surveys, and geochemical analyses of waters. She has presented her work at multiple conferences and is approaching completion of a first manuscript from her work, focusing on the relationship of ground ice to the spatial distribution of substrate (see Figure).
This work also facilitated initiation of partnerships with individuals at the Cold Regions Research and Engineering Laboratory in Fairbanks, and at the University of Alaska Fairbanks. We started geophysical work, and developed approaches for handling of frozen samples from field collection through storage and shipping. Our forthcoming geochemical analyses will form the basis of a Collaborative NSF grant (planned submission in February 2024) to fund additional geochemical analyses, student support, and future field work.
Last Modified: 01/14/2024
Modified by: Stephanie A Ewing
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