CGRG Bibliography of Canadian Geomorphology
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Author : Clarke, S.; and Lewkowicz, A.G.
Date : 1997.
Title : The influence of climate change on solifluction : an experimental study
Publication : Program and abstracts : 27th Arctic Workshop, Department of Geography, University of Ottawa, February 27-March 2, 1997. Edited by Antoni G. Lewkowicz and Steven V. Kokelj.
Issue :
Page(s) : 33-35.
Abstract
The objective of the experiment was to simulate various climate changes and directly examine the effects on solifluction rates. Natural solifluction rates have been measured using electro-mechanical meters over the past four years in the Hot Weather Creek valley. Five solifluction meters ... and thermocouple cables were installed close together on a planar portion of an 8° colluvial slope in 1992-93. The meters and thermocouple cables are multiplexed to a data-logger which began to acquire ground temperature and soil movement data continuously in August 1993. The natural variation of movements among the meters was measured prior to climatic treatments being performed. During the summer of 1996, one meter was warmed using polyethylene sheeting, one wetted by manual watering of the slope, one treated to a combination of these treatments, one cooled by shading, and the last left as a control. Simultaneous measurements were made of active-layerpiezometric pressures, soil moisture and active layer shear strength. Preliminary analyses indicate that the climatic treatments were successful in generating temperature and movement variations among the meters. For example, prior to the start of the treatments on July 8, the frost table depths at all five meters were very similar. On the final day of treatment, the frost table at the two meters subjected to warming (A and B) attained greater depths (between 71 and 77 cm) than at the control meter (63 cm), whereas the frost table depth at the cooled meter (E) was significantly shallower (53 cm). At the time of the final measurement on August 9, the frost table at both warming meters indicated a deepening trend, while the other meters seemed to have stabilized.
Bibliography of Canadian Geomorphology