High-resolution seismic and ground penetrating radar – geophysical profiling of a thermokarst lake

High-resolution seismic and ground-penetrating-radar (GPR) data have been acquired over Lake Nikolay in the western Lena Delta in order to study the uppermost basin fill and the bordering frozen margins. GPR (100 MHz antenna pair) measurements were completed on the frozen lake and its permafrost margins, while high-resolution seismic data were acquired from the lake during open-water conditions in summer using a 1.5–11.5 kHz Chirp profiler. The combined use of the two profiling systems allows stratigraphic profiling in both frozen and unfrozen parts of the lake. Shallow seismic reflection images of the uppermost 4 to 5 m of sediments are compared to GPR sections, which have approximately the same horizontal and vertical resolution. Short sediment cores aid calibrate the geophysical data. Copyright 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. KEY WORDS: permafrost geophysics; seismic and GPR; thermokarst lake; Siberi