Annual Frost Heave Distribution in a Non-Sorted Circle System Measured with a Terrestrial Laser Scanner

We measured two digital elevation models at very high resolution in a non-sorted circle system using a Terrestrial Laser Scanner, in order to understand the frost heave pattern of these systems. The data shows large variability in annual frost heave. The variability is strongest on and off the center of the non-sorted circles. The vegetation pattern observed with the data is strongly related to the pattern of frost heave. The total amount of heave for the research grid is on average 8.8 cm, but varied from 1 to 15 cm. The total amount of water in the grid does not justify the total amount of heave observed by simply calculating the volume change from liquid water to ice. Other potential reasons for frost heave, suggested here, are water migration from organic layers containing more liquid water, cracks forming in the active layer as it freezes and drying of the soil ahead of the freezing front.