Brief communication: Hypergravity testing of thawing rates in frozen sand

Abstract. The active layer above permafrost experiencing seasonal freeze-thaw can range from a few centimeters to tens of meters in thickness, which complicates physical modeling of this phenomenon. This study shows capabilities developed to investigate freeze-thaw in a hypergravity environment that will enable system-level experiments which tie model predictions of permafrost behavior to field observations of permafrost temperature cycling. By leveraging scaling in a hypergravity setting, this research will allow for permafrost layers to be generated on a prototype scale that capture the full thickness of the active layer on the order of tens of meters. We present preliminary results showing requirements and techniques for sample preparation, insulation, and feasible experiment run times in a 1 m radius centrifuge.