Skip to main content

Thank you for visiting nature.com. You are using a browser version with limited support for CSS. To obtain the best experience, we recommend you use a more up to date browser (or turn off compatibility mode in Internet Explorer). In the meantime, to ensure continued support, we are displaying the site without styles and JavaScript.

  • Letter
  • Published:

Nonlinear dynamics of ice-wedge networks and resulting sensitivity to severe cooling events

Nature volume 417, pages 929–933 (2002)Cite this article

Abstract

Patterns of subsurface wedges of ice that form along cooling-induced tension fractures, expressed at the ground surface by ridges or troughs spaced 10–30 m apart, are ubiquitous in polar lowlands1. Fossilized ice wedges, which are widespread at lower latitudes, have been used to infer the duration2,3,4 and mean temperature5,6 of cold periods within Proterozoic2 and Quaternary climates3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10,11,12,13, and recent climate trends have been inferred from fracture frequency in active ice wedges14. Here we present simulations from a numerical model for the evolution of ice-wedge networks over a range of climate scenarios, based on the interactions between thermal tensile stress, fracture and ice wedges. We find that short-lived periods of severe cooling permanently alter the spacing between ice wedges as well as their fracture frequency. This affects the rate at which the widths of ice wedges increase as well as the network's response to subsequent climate change. We conclude that wedge spacing and width in ice-wedge networks mainly reflect infrequent episodes of rapidly falling ground temperatures rather than mean conditions.

This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution

Access options

Buy this article

  • Purchase on Springer Link
  • Instant access to full article PDF
Buy now

Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout

Figure 1: Near-infrared aerial photograph of an ice-wedge network on the floor of a drained lake near Espenberg, northwest Alaska.
Figure 2: Fracture pattern after 1 yr, and surface elevation after 2,000 yr, for three model experiments.
Figure 3: Properties of ice-wedge and fracture patterns versus time for four modelled networks.

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. French, H. M. The Periglacial Environment (Addison Wesley, Harlow, 1996)

    Google Scholar 

  2. Williams, G. E. et al. in Earth's Glacial Record (eds Deynoux, M. et al.) 146–164 (Cambridge Univ. Press, Cambridge, 1994)

    Book  Google Scholar 

  3. Black, R. F. in Glacial Geomorphology (ed. Coates, D.) 247–275 (State Univ. New York, Binghamton, 1974)

    Google Scholar 

  4. Johnson, W. H. Ice-wedge casts and relic patterned ground in central Illinois and their environmental significance. Quat. Res. 33, 51–72 (1990)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  5. Renssen, H. & Isarin, R. F. B. The two major warming phases of the last deglaciation at ∼14.7 and ∼11.5 ka cal BP in Europe: climate reconstructions and AGCM experiments. Glob. Planet. Change 30, 117–153 (2001)

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  6. Isarin, R. F. B. Permafrost distribution and temperatures in Europe during the Younger Dryas. Permafrost Periglac. Process 8, 313–333 (1997)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  7. Maizels, J. K. Frequency of relic frost-fissure structures and prediction of polygon pattern: A quantitative approach. Biul. Peryglac. 30, 67–89 (1986)

    Google Scholar 

  8. Walters, J. C. Ice-wedge casts and relict polygonal patterned ground in North-East Iowa, USA. Permafrost Periglac. Process 5, 269–282 (1994)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  9. Owen, L. A. et al. Relic permafrost structures in the Gobi of Mongolia: age and significance. J. Quat. Sci. 13, 539–547 (1998)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  10. Pewe, T. L. Proc 1st Int. Permafrost Conf. 76–81 (Publication 1287, National Academy of Science and National Research Council, Washington DC, 1966)

    Google Scholar 

  11. Black, R. F. Periglacial features indicative of permafrost: Ice and soil wedges. Quat. Res. 6, 3–26 (1976)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  12. Borns, H. W. Late glacial ice-wedge casts in northern Nova Scotia, Canada. Science 148, 1223–1226 (1965)

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  13. Grosso, S. A. & Corte, A. E. Pleistocene ice wedge casts at 34 degrees S; Eastern Andes piedmont, south-west of South America. Geogr. Ann. A 71, 125–136 (1989)

    Google Scholar 

  14. Kasper, J. N. & Allard, M. Late-Holocene climatic changes as detected by the growth and decay of ice wedges on the southern shore of Hudson Strait, northern Québec, Canada. Holocene 11, 563–577 (2001)

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  15. Lachenbruch, A. H. Mechanics of thermal contraction cracks and ice-wedge polygons in permafrost. Spec. Pap. Geol. Soc. Am. 70 (1962)

  16. Mackay, J. R. The first seven years (1978-1985) of ice-wedge growth; Illisarvik experimental drained lake site, western Arctic coast. Can. J. Earth Sci. 23, 1782–1795 (1986)

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  17. Mackay, J. R. Air temperature, snow cover, creep of frozen ground, and the time of ice-wedge cracking, western Arctic coast. Can. J. Earth Sci. 30, 1720–1729 (1993)

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  18. Mackay, J. R. The frequency of ice-wedge cracking (1967–1987) at Garry Island, western Arctic coast, Canada. Can. J. Earth Sci. 29, 236–248 (1992)

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  19. Plug, L. J. & Werner, B. T. Fracture networks in frozen ground. J. Geophys. Res. 106, 8599–8613 (2001)

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  20. Werner, B. T. Complexity in natural landform patterns. Science 284, 102–104 (1999)

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  21. Nicolis, G. & Prigogine, I. Self-organization in Nonequilibrium Systems (Wiley, New York, 1977)

    MATH  Google Scholar 

  22. Hopkins, D. M. Thaw lakes and thaw sinks in the Imuruk Lake area, Seward Peninsula Alaska. J. Geol. 57, 119–131 (1949)

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  23. Zhu, Y. & Carbee, D. L. Tensile Strength of Frozen Silt Report 87-14 (Army Cold Regions Research and Engineering Laboratory, Hannover, New Hampshire, 1987)

    Google Scholar 

  24. Gold, L. W. Engineering properties of freshwater ice. J. Glaciol. 19, 197–212 (1977)

    Google Scholar 

  25. Goodman, D. J. & Tabor, D. Fracture toughness of ice: An account of some new experiments. J. Glaciol. 21, 651–660 (1978)

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  26. Hanks, T. C., Bucknam, R. C., Lajoie, K. R. & Wallace, R. E. Modification of wave-cut and faulting controlled landforms. J. Geophys. Res. 89, 5771–5790 (1984)

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgements

We thank R. Anderson and B. Hallet for reviews, and the late D.M. Hopkins for comments on an earlier version. This work was supported by the NSF, Arctic Natural Sciences Program, the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, and the National Park Service, Bering Land Bridge National Preserve.

Author information

Author notes

  1. L. J. Plug

    Present address: Department of Earth Sciences, Dalhousie University, Halifax, B3H 4R2, Canada

  2. L. J. Plug: Correspondence and requests for materials should be addressed to L.P.

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Complex Systems Laboratory, Cecil and Ida Green Institute of Geophysics and Planetary Physics, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, California, 92093-0225, USA

    B. T. Werner

Authors
  1. L. J. Plug
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. B. T. Werner
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to L. J. Plug.

Ethics declarations

Competing interests

The authors declare that they have no competing financial interests.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Plug, L., Werner, B. Nonlinear dynamics of ice-wedge networks and resulting sensitivity to severe cooling events. Nature 417, 929–933 (2002). https://doi.org/10.1038/nature00796

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/nature00796

This article is cited by

Comments

By submitting a comment you agree to abide by our Terms and Community Guidelines. If you find something abusive or that does not comply with our terms or guidelines please flag it as inappropriate.

Search

Advanced search

Quick links

Nature Briefing

Sign up for the Nature Briefing newsletter — what matters in science, free to your inbox daily.

Get the most important science stories of the day, free in your inbox. Sign up for Nature Briefing