Investigating Ice Aggradation and Thermal Erosion Induced by Seasonal Water Flow in Cold Regions With a Cold Room Flume
Abstract
In periglacial environments, water flowing on the surface of frozen ground can either thermally erode the soil or form successive ice layers with not only the water temperature as a controlling parameter. This study investigates the mechanism of water flows on permafrost creating thermal erosion or ice aggradation in periglacial environments. Our experimental setup mimicked the natural occurrence of meltwater flow over permafrost terrain during seasonal transitions in early spring. Our objective was to test different scenarios defined by different boundary conditions (water discharge, water stream temperature and frozen soil temperature). This study measured thawing and erosion depths with sensors and laser, revealing that water thermal gradients control heat propagation in the thawed substrates. Results show that water temperature is the key factor: stream temperature above +1.3°C leads to erosion, while lower one (< 1.3°C) favours ice aggradation. Stream discharge rate controls thermal exchange, with low flows promoting freezing and high flows enhancing erosion.
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BibTeX
@article{costard2026investigating,
title = {{Investigating Ice Aggradation and Thermal Erosion Induced by Seasonal Water Flow in Cold Regions With a Cold Room Flume}},
author = {Francois Costard and Emmanuel Léger and Laure Dupeyrat and Daniel Fortier and Antoine Séjourné},
journal = {Earth Surface Processes and Landforms},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.1002/esp.70435},
url = {https://hal.science/hal-05802177v1},
note = {CC BY-NC-ND 4.0},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Investigating Ice Aggradation and Thermal Erosion Induced by Seasonal Water Flow in Cold Regions With a Cold Room Flume
AU - Francois Costard
AU - Emmanuel Léger
AU - Laure Dupeyrat
AU - Daniel Fortier
AU - Antoine Séjourné
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/15
JO - Earth Surface Processes and Landforms
DO - 10.1002/esp.70435
UR - https://hal.science/hal-05802177v1
AB - In periglacial environments, water flowing on the surface of frozen ground can either thermally erode the soil or form successive ice layers with not only the water temperature as a controlling parameter. This study investigates the mechanism of water flows on permafrost creating thermal erosion or ice aggradation in periglacial environments. Our experimental setup mimicked the natural occurrence of meltwater flow over permafrost terrain during seasonal transitions in early spring. Our objective was to test different scenarios defined by different boundary conditions (water discharge, water stream temperature and frozen soil temperature). This study measured thawing and erosion depths with sensors and laser, revealing that water thermal gradients control heat propagation in the thawed substrates. Results show that water temperature is the key factor: stream temperature above +1.3°C leads to erosion, while lower one (< 1.3°C) favours ice aggradation. Stream discharge rate controls thermal exchange, with low flows promoting freezing and high flows enhancing erosion.
SN - 0197-9337
SN - 1096-9837
ER -