Permafrost and Water: Interactions of the Frozen and Cryotic State in Permafrost and the Active Layer. How Do We Understand It Today?
A special issue of Water (ISSN 2073-4441). This special issue belongs to the section "Hydrogeology".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 December 2022) | Viewed by 5842
Special Issue Editors
Interests: permafrost; ice; freezing; geomorphology; periglacial
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Interests: microbiology; climate change; global warming
Interests: permafrost; climate change
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
Is it in any way surprising that the Water journal accepted the idea to devote a Special Issue to the permafrost and active layer? Has permafrost always been connected to the occurrence of water? An unreflective answer may suggest that this is indeed the case. Permafrost means a constantly frozen medium.
However, we know that it is not so. Much of the permafrost is related to the presence of a cryotic state, i.e., a negative ground temperature with no freezing due to the freezing point dropping below 0 °C. This is mainly because of mineralization, increased pressure, clay content, or other factors. Unfrozen water may be a part of permafrost. In addition, such a situation occurs quite commonly on seacoasts and in glaciated areas—under glaciers.
What is the state of research on cryotic permafrost? By what methods can it be investigated? What proportion does it constitute in comparison to traditional, frozen permafrost, on a regional and global scale, and what types of threats does it cause? Those issues are almost unknown and constitute one of the basic challenges of permafrost studies.
The second problem is related to frozen water: ice. Here, too, the question of an interesting distinction arises: Can ice-free permafrost exist? What does the term dry permafrost mean? (Is the definition of 148 in Everdingen’s permafrost glossary correct?) Can ice be called dry water? How does it compare to other frozen mediums?
I know that such questions are not often asked today because there are other pressing research problems related to more practical issues: global warming, the related degradation of permafrost, an increase in the active layer, or the emission of methane and CO2. Indeed, it is in this direction that the dominant amount of force and resources goes. These issues receive much more attention. However, the aforementioned issues are crucial for a correct understanding of the whole topic of permafrost, and especially its relationship with water in various forms. This research area seems to be rather neglected, but its broader development in this Special Issue may also benefit mainstream research on permafrost.
Dr. Wojciech Dobinski
Prof. Mauro Guglielmin
Dr. Dongliang Luo
Guest Editors
Manuscript Submission Information
Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.
Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Water is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.
Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.
Keywords
- permafrost
- water
- dry permafrost
- cryotic state
- offshore permafrost
- ice
Benefits of Publishing in a Special Issue
- Ease of navigation: Grouping papers by topic helps scholars navigate broad scope journals more efficiently.
- Greater discoverability: Special Issues support the reach and impact of scientific research. Articles in Special Issues are more discoverable and cited more frequently.
- Expansion of research network: Special Issues facilitate connections among authors, fostering scientific collaborations.
- External promotion: Articles in Special Issues are often promoted through the journal's social media, increasing their visibility.
- Reprint: MDPI Books provides the opportunity to republish successful Special Issues in book format, both online and in print.
Further information on MDPI's Special Issue policies can be found here.
