Understanding the influence of boundary conditions and thermophysical soil parameters on thermal modelling in permafrost regions

ABSTRACT: This article uses an approach which was developed at the Department of Geocryology of Lomonosov Moscow State University. This approach provides a method to calibrate the thermal boundary condition on the ground surface using borehole soil temperature measurements in combination with thermophysical soil parameters. This article presents thermal calculations using one-dimensional heat conduction. Some errors may occur during surveys when determining the thermophysical properties of soils and surface boundary conditions. The paper examines the influence of these errors on simulated thermal fields. Suggestions for minimizing the influence of errors in the thermal modelling arising from the thermophysical soil properties are suggested. The performed calculations identify that the quality of boundary conditions affects the result of thermal modelling more than the quality of thermophysical properties. In addition, to conduct more accurate thermal modelling, it is necessary to take a more detailed approach to the characterization of snow and vegetation covers.