Abstract Project: KOP188

Michael Angelopoulos (AWI)

Cryopegs are pockets or layers in permafrost that are unfrozen at temperatures well below 0 °C because of their high salinity. They are primarily located in marine deposits beneath submerged continental shelves and onshore Arctic coastal stretches. Since cryopegs and surrounding saline permafrost have a low freezing point, they can thaw more quickly than fresh permafrost and expand with climate change. However, the widespread response of cryopegs to climate warming is unknown. My research will investigate cryopegs at different stages of development through geophysical imaging and hydro-chemical sediment core analysis. The ultimate goal is to extrapolate my findings and create regional maps of cryopeg occurrence, its susceptibility to climate change, and its implications for the Arctic methane cycle and as planetary analogue sites for brines on Mars.