Background
Permafrost and ground ice can act as a cold, frozen lid -a cryosphere seal- over natural gas generated in deeper rocks, which are prevalent across the Arctic. The spatial extent and thickness of permafrost along the shoreline and across the sea-to-land continuum is of particular importance, as it regulates the past, current, and future migration of fluids across this boundary and into the atmosphere.
The major concern is that due to a warming climate, the previously frozen ground may thaw or thin enough to lose its trapping capacity. Once lost, large quantities of harmful greenhouse gases may then potentially reach the subsurface and be released into the atmosphere. Seal bypass systems, such as faults and fracture corridors, may further affect fluid flow across the cryosphere seal and in its absence, allowing fluid flow even where the frozen ground or geological seal would otherwise have been thick enough to remain functional for keeping the fluids trapped in the subsurface.
Research & Methods
The thesis work may involve survey planning, field acquisition, processing, inversion, and interpretation of EM data (e.g. georader, ERT, TEM), alternatively the workup of existing data. The exact thesis focus will be selected with the supervisory team after considering site access, available baseline data, and the student's interests. Possible directions include:
- Mapping the lateral and vertical distribution of ground ice and permafrost along one or more coastal transects, extending from the shoreline into shallow fjord settings, conducting sea-ice based EM measurements, where feasible.
- Creating a geological model of a faulted shale-dominated outcrop from a high resolution, digital outcrop model and integrating it with available EM data (ERT, IP) to characterise the lithological contrasts between the host rock and fault zone, and assess the potential for fluid-migration.
The work will include quality control of field data, appropriately constrained inversion, sensitivity and resolution testing, and integration with relevant geological, geomorphological, borehole, GPR, ERT/IP, TEM, or environmental observations where available.
Students are encouraged to apply for an Arctic Field Grant to cover their own stay in Svalbard (deadline for submission 1. November 2027) during both the 2027 and 2028 spring season. The potential field campaign and study site will be planned together with the supervisors at UiO, NGI and UNIS.
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