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A physically based model is formulated for the active layer depth of permafrost under changing boundary condition instead of constant boundary condition considered in the traditional Stefan problem. Time-varying ground heat flux is obtained from net radiation and surface temperature using the Maximum Entropy Production (MEP) model as the driver of the active layer melting process. Conductive heat flux at the melting front is approximated in terms of an analytical function of ground heat flux. The simulated active layer depth is in good agreement with the field observations.
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An Analytical Model of Active Layer Depth Under Changing Ground Heat Flux
Abstract Improved modeling of permafrost active layer freeze‐thaw plays a crucial role in understanding the response of the Arctic ecosystem to the accelerating warming trend in the region over the past decades. However, modeling the dynamics of the active layer at diurnal time scale remains challenging using the traditional models of freeze‐thaw processes. In this study, a physically based analytical model is formulated to simulate the thaw depth of the active layer under changing boundary conditions of soil heat flux. Conservation of energy for the active layer leads to a nonlinear integral equation of the thaw depth using a temperature profile approximated from the analytical solution of the heat transfer equation forced by ground heat flux. Temporally variable ground heat flux is estimated using non‐gradient models when field observations are not available. Validation of the proposed model conducted against field data obtained from three Arctic forest and tundra sites demonstrates that the model is able to simulate both thaw depth and soil temperature profiles accurately. The model has the potential to estimate regional variability of the thaw depth for permafrost related applications.
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- PAR ID:
- 10561239
- Publisher / Repository:
- Wiley
- Date Published:
- Journal Name:
- Journal of Geophysical Research: Atmospheres
- Volume:
- 129
- Issue:
- 5
- ISSN:
- 2169-897X
- Format(s):
- Medium: X
- Sponsoring Org:
- National Science Foundation
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- Free Publicly Accessible Full Text
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Accepted Manuscript
- Journal Article:
- https://doi.org/10.1029/2023JD039453
