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Disputas: Juditha Aga

Ph.d.-kandidat Juditha Aga ved Institutt for geofag, Det matematisk-naturvitenskapelige fakultet, vil forsvare avhandlingen The thermal regime and stability of permafrost in sloping terrain - observations and numerical modelling for graden Philosophiae Doctor.

Juditha Aga. Foto: Privat

Juditha Aga. Foto: Privat

Disputas og prøveforelesning er i Auditorium 1 i Geologibygningen. I noen tilfeller vil prøveforelesning og disputas være mulig å delta på digitalt, i så fall blir det lagt ut en lenke til Zoom.

Prøveforelesning

Tirsdag 21 november, 10:15-11:00, Aud 1, Geologibygningen:

Hazards and risks in high mountain permafrost environments

Kreeringssammendrag

Pågående klimaendringer påvirker områder med permafrost over hele verden, og forårsaker økning av bakketemperatur og tykkelse av permafrostens aktiv lag som tiner om sommeren. Endringene påvirker bakkens stabilitet, spesielt gjennom deres effekt på isinnholdet i bakken. Konsekvenser er forskyvninger som setninger på grunnoverflaten, skråningsfeil og kysterosjon. Denne doktorgradsavhandlingen undersøker dette komplekse samspillet, og bruker både feltobservasjoner og numerisk modellering som metode.

Hovedfunn

Populærvitenskapelig artikkel om Agas avhandling:

The thermal regime and stability of permafrost in sloping terrain - observations and numerical modelling

Ongoing climate change is impacting permafrost environments worldwide, causing a rise in ground temperatures and deepening of the active layer. These changes influence the stability of the ground, especially through their effect on ground ice content. Consequences include ground displacements such as subsidence of the ground surface, slope failures and coastal erosion. This doctoral thesis investigates this complex system interaction based on both field observations and numerical modelling. Field observations on Svalbard show that the thermal regime of permafrost is dependent on local factors, such as the proximity to the sea. Furthermore, erosion of the coastal cliffs on the Brøgger peninsula has increased in recent years, a trend likely be attributable to changing climatic conditions.

Numerical models are a simplification of the complex natural conditions, but contribute to our understanding of the underlying processes. Within this doctoral thesis, a new model scheme is developed that (i) computes a modified surface energy balance for sloping terrain, (ii) accounts for ground ice formation and thaw and (iii) performs a slope stability analysis. By coupling this model to atmospheric data, it is possible to evaluate the climate-dependency of ground ice formation and thaw in regions with permafrost, as well as slope stability in permafrost environments.

Photo  The coastal cliffs of the Brøgger peninsula on the west coast of the island of Spitsbergen in Svalbard, Norway. The peninsula is characterized by continuous permafrost and experienced increased erosion in recent years. Photo: Juditha Aga.
The coastal cliffs of the Brøgger peninsula on the west coast of the island of Spitsbergen in Svalbard, Norway. The peninsula is characterized by continuous permafrost and experienced increased erosion in recent years. Photo: Juditha Aga.

Foto og annen informasjon:

Pressefoto: Juditha Aga, portrett; 1000px. Foto: Privat

Annet bildemateriale: Foto med beskrivelse og kreditering som spesifisert i artikkelen over, størrelse 2000px.

Publisert 7. nov. 2023 10:00 - Sist endret 21. nov. 2023 09:57