Permafrost influences hillslope and channel processes by controlling water availability for sediment transport and soil erosion, which changes with warming. I study how permafrost landscapes are shaped by climate by quantifying the pace and pattern of erosion across time and space. We find that low hilltop curvatures and drainage densities are universal topographic signatures of permafrost processes, seen in both the modern Arctic and landscapes underlain by permafrost during the Last Glacial Maximum. Landscapes that were colder during the Last Glacial Maximum have higher erosion rates than warmer landscapes with similar topographies, consistent with field and remote measurements from modern landscapes showing high sediment movement rates driven by wetness rather than steepness. We are mapping permafrost drainage networks, which are distinct from landscapes that do not have frozen ground, to understand their formation and changes under shifting climate conditions, as disturbances may indicate changes in the thermal state of permafrost. We also explore thermal channelization of suprapermafrost flowpaths to explain Arctic drainage patterns and vegetation trends.

Bio:

Dr. Joanmarie Del Vecchio is an Assistant Professor of Geology at the College of William & Mary, studying permafrost landscape response to climate change. She earned her Ph.D. and M.S. in Geoscience from Penn State, where she conducted research on periglacial landscapes past and present. Dr. Del Vecchio was a Neukom Postdoctoral Fellow at Dartmouth College and has collaborated with Los Alamos National Laboratory. Her work integrates field studies and computational science to understand geological processes in changing environments.

* For the Zoom link please email Xueyao Cheng  > xc272@stanford.edu