Cold-climate hydrology, permafrost, vadose zone physical/chemical/biological processes, slope stability, programming and modeling, drainage systems, groundwater resources, and water flow in snow
Education and/or Training
2004 - Ph.D., Water Resource Science; University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, USA.
(Thesis title: Modeling Liquid Water Flow in Snow)
1997 - M.A., Agricultural Engineering; Wageningen University, Wageningen, NL.
(Thesis title: Water flow and heat transport under frost and thaw conditions at an arable field soil with snow cover near Sjökulla, Finland)
1994 - B.A., Environmental Engineering; Van Hall Instituut, Groningen, NL.
(Thesis title: Waste water treatment with Helofyte filters)
1991 - A.S., Horticultural Education; 't Vanck, Nijmegen, NL.
Projects and/or Research Interests
Renewable Energy Program
Arctic Strategic Transportation and Resources (ASTAR) project
Groundwater assessment for the State of Alaska
Affiliated with the Water and Environmental Research Center, University of Alaska Fairbanks
Websites about his work
Frozen Debris Lobe Research
Professional Experience
RESEARCH APPOINTMENTS
2013-present, Geologist IV, Geohydrologist, Alaska Division of Geological & Geophysical Engineering. Projects: Groundwater assessment for the State of Alaska
2011-2013, Research Assistant Professor, Institute of Northern Engineering, Water and Environmental Resources Center, University of Alaska Fairbanks. Projects: Permafrost Modeling, Permafrost Observations, Thermal effects of Groundwater Manipulation, Terrestrial Lidar Observations of Frost Heave and Soil Motion
2009-2011, Research Associate, Geophysical Institute, University of Alaska Fairbanks. Projects: Permafrost Modeling, Permafrost Observations, Thermal effects of Groundwater Manipulation, Terrestrial Lidar Observations of Frost Heave and Soil Motion
2005-2009, Post Doctoral Fellow, Geophysical Institute, University of Alaska Fairbanks. Projects: Non-sorted Circles Observations and Modeling, Permafrost Modeling
2004-2005, Post Doctoral Fellow, Department of Mining Geological Engineering, University of Alaska Fairbanks. Projects: Model Development for Coupled Heat and Moisture Transfer in Arctic Soils
1997-2004, Research Assistant, Department of Biosystems and Agricultural Engineering, University of Minnesota
ACADEMIC
Teaching and course development Departments of Biology and Wildlife, Atmospheric Sciences, Geography, Geology, University of Alaska Fairbanks
- Graduate Seminar Special topics: Arctic in a changing climate: Physical and biological linkages to permafrost (Co-taught with Dr. D.A. (Skip) Walker, Summer 2010)
Teaching and course development Dept. of Geological Engineering, University of Alaska Fairbanks
- Subsurface Hydrology: Hydrologic, geologic and other factors controlling groundwater flow, occurrence, development, chemistry and contamination (Fall 2012)
- Graduate seminar special topics: Unsaturated soils, moisture and heat transfer (co-taught with Dr. Debasmita Misra, Fall 2009)
- Graduate seminar special topics: Unsaturated coupled heat and moisture transfer in soils (co-taught with Dr. Debasmita Misra, Fall 2007)
Teaching and course development Dept. of Geology, University of Minnesota
- Graduate field course: Vadose zone hydrology (Summer, 2001)
- Graduate field course: Vadose zone hydrology (Co-taught with Dr. John Nieber, Summer 1999)
University of Alaska Fairbanks - Academic Advising and Committee Member: Jocelyn Simpson, and others
PROFESSIONAL
Supervisor, University of Alaska Fairbanks
- Supervised full time Permafrost Laboratory Technician (2008-2013)
Computer Programmer, University of Alaska Fairbanks
- Developed heat transfer module in the Water Balance Simulation model (WaSiM) (2012-present)
- Developed coupled multidimensional thermal models of freezing ground in COMSOL (2008-present)
- Developed couple heat and hydrological models in FORTRAN on a high-performance computing platform (2004-2009)
- Supervised undergraduate project 'Visualization of scientific data in a three-dimensional immersive environment' (2005-2007)
Expedition Leader, University of Alaska Fairbanks
- North Slope, Alaska: Study permafrost, active layer and snow (2005-2011)
Designer and Developer
- Automated and supervised drainage and irrigation system operation, Alaskan Peatland Experiment (2006-2012)
- Developed and operated data acquisition systems for arctic climate (1998-present)
- Designed and implemented waste-water treatment systems in Minnesota (2002-2004)
- Designed and implemented agricultural drainage systems in Minnesota (2002-2004)
Selected Professional Activities
AWARDS, FELLOWSHIPS, CONSULTING
Award: Rapid Debris Lobe movement, National Institute for Water Resources (NIWR) (2012-present)
Award: Frozen Debris Lobes in the Brooks Range, Alaska Climate Center (2012)
Consulting: freezeback of a monofill design, Jacobs Engineering (2011)
Award: Flow slides in the Brooks Range, EPSCoR Early-Career (2008)
Fellowships: consulting on individual waste-water treatment systems, Minnesota Rural Waste Water Cooperative (2001-2004)
PROFESSIONAL MEMBERSHIPS
Member, American Geophysical Union, (2005-present)
Member, US Permafrost Association (2006-present)
Member, International Permafrost Association (2009-present)
PROFESSIONAL REVIEWS
Reviewer, Plant and Soil (2012, present)
Reviewer, Permafrost and Periglacial Processes (2010, present)
Reviewer, Environmental Research Letters (2010, present)
Reviewer, National Science Foundation proposals (2009-present)
Reviewer, Conferences on Permafrost (2008-present)
EXPEDITION PARTICIPANT
Banks Island, Prince Patrick Island and Ellef Ringness Island, in the Canadian Archipelago: to study patterned ground features and their relation to ground temperature and hydrology (2003-2006, and 2010)
Belyy Ostrov, Russia: to study vegetation in relation to ground temperatures (2009)
ACADEMIC SERVICE TO PUBLIC SCHOOLS AND COMMUNITY
Permafrost science education for fifth graders at the Watershed School in Fairbanks (2009-present)
Scientific advisor to 7th and 8th grade cold-climate curriculum development (2009-2012)
Field tour guide on the Dalton Highway (Ninth International Conference On Permafrost, 2008)
Instructor for the Student Teacher Education Program (Climate and Cryosphere, 2007)
News articles written about his work
Only in Alaska? Creeping frozen landslide threatens critical highway and pipeline
Frozen landslide threatens to devour Dalton Highway: Read more here
Taking on Frozen Debris Lobes--Permafrost Experts, DOT Engineers Team Up in First-of-its-Kind Study
Flowing tongues of rock, ice and dirt
Selected Publications
- Schwarber, J.A., Darrow, M.M., Daanen, R.P., Stevens, D.S.P., and Presler, P.J., 2022, Preliminary landslide inventory of parts of the Fairbanks North Star Borough, Alaska: Alaska Division of Geological & Geophysical Surveys Report of Investigation 2022-1, 80 p., 2 sheets, scale 1:50,000. https://doi.org/10.14509/30841
- Gagné, K.R., Ewers, S.C., Murphy, C.J., Daanen, R.P., Walter Anthony, Katey, and Guerard, J.J., 2020, Composition and photo-reactivity of organic matter from permafrost soils and surface waters in interior Alaska: Environmental Science: Processes & Impacts. https://doi.org/10.1039/D0EM00097C
- Emond, A.M., Daanen, R.P., Graham, G.R.C., Walter Anthony, Katey, Liljedahl, A.K., Minsley, B.J., Barnes, D.L., Romanovsky, V.E., and CGG Canada Services Ltd., 2018, Airborne electromagnetic and magnetic survey, Goldstream Creek watershed, interior Alaska: Alaska Division of Geological & Geophysical Surveys Geophysical Report 2016-5, 14 p. https://doi.org/10.14509/29681
- Walter Anthony, Katey, Schneider von Deimling, Thomas, Nitze, Ingmar, Frolking, Steve, Emond, A.M., Daanen, R.P., Anthony, Peter, Lindgren, Prajna, Jones, B.M., and Grosse, Guido, 2018, 21st-century modeled permafrost carbon emissions accelerated by abrupt thaw beneath lakes: Nature Communications, v. 9, no. 1. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-018-05738-9
- Miller, J.K., Prakash, A., Daanen, R.P., Haselwimmer, C., Whalen, M., Cumming, W., Benoit, D., Clark, A.C., Mager, M., and Holdmann, G., 2013, Geologic model of the geothermal anomaly at Pilgrim Hot Springs, Seward Peninsula, Alaska: Thirty-Eighth Workshop on Geothermal Reservoir Engineering, Stanford, California, February 11-13, 2013, SGP-TR-198, p. 1326-1334. https://pangea.stanford.edu/ERE/pdf/IGAstandard/SGW/2013/Miller.pdf
- Darrow, M.M., Daanen, R.P., and Zottola, J.T., 2013, Impact of groundwater flow on permafrost degradation and transportation infrastructure stability: Fairbanks, Alaska, Alaska University Transportation Center and Alaska Department of Transportation Research, Development, and Technology Transfer.
- Darrow, M.M., Daanen, R.P., and Simpson, J.M., 2013, Analysis of a frozen debris lobe: A first look inside an impending geohazard: 10th International Symposium on Cold Regions Development, Anchorage, Alaska, June 5, 2013, p. 139-148. http://dx.doi.org/10.1061/9780784412978.014
- Darrow, M.M., Daanen, R.P., and Simpson, J.M., 2012, Monitoring and analysis of frozen debris lobes, Phase I: Fairbanks, Alaska, Alaska University Transportation Center and Alaska Department of Transportation Research, Development, and Technology Transfer.
- Daanen, R.P., Chittambakkam, A., Haselwimmer, C., Prakash, A., Mager, M., and Holdmann, G., 2012, Use of COMSOL multiphysics to develop a shallow preliminary conceptual model for geothermal exploration at Pilgrim Hot Springs, Alaska: Geothermal Resources Council Transactions, Reno, NV, October, 2012, v. 36, p. 631-636. http://pubs.geothermal-library.org/lib/grc/1030293.pdf
- Daanen, R.P., Grosse, G., Darrow, M., Hamilton, T.D., and Jones, B.M., 2012, Rapid movement of frozen debris-lobes: implications for permafrost degradation and slope instability in the south-central Brooks Range, Alaska: Nat. Hazards Earth Syst. Sci., v. 12, p. 1521-1537. http://dx.doi.org/10.5194/nhess-12-1521-2012
- Daanen, R.P., 2012, Annual frost heave distribution in a non-sorted circle system measured with a terrestrial laser scanner, in Hinkel, K.M., ed. Proceedings of the Tenth International Conference on Permafrost, Salekard, Russia: The Northern Publisher Salekhard, v. 1, p. 79-84.
- Daanen, R.P., Ingeman-Nielsen, T., Romanovsky, V.E., Marchenko, S.S., Stendel, M., Christensen, J.H., Foged, N., and Hornbech Svensen, K., 2011, Permafrost degradation risk zone assessment using simulation models: The Cryosphere, v. 5, p. 1021-1053. http://dx.doi.org/10.5194/tcd-5-1021-2011
- Daanen, R.P., Misra, D., and Thompson, A.M., 2011, Frozen soil hydrology, in Singh, Vijay P., Singh, Pratap, and Haritashya, Umesh K., eds., Encyclopedia of snow, ice and glaciers: Springer Netherlands, 1st Edition, XLVI, p. 306-311. http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/978-90-481-2642-2_171
- Daanen, R.P., Misra, D., and Thompson, A.M., 2011, Hydrological cycle and snow, in Singh, Vijay P., Singh, Pratap, and Haritashya, Umesh K., eds., Encyclopedia of snow, ice and glaciers: Springer Netherlands, 1st Edition, XLVI, p. 538-541. http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/978-90-481-2642-2_249
- Misra, D., Daanen, R.P., and Thompson, A.M., 2011, Base flow/groundwater flow, in Singh, Vijay P., Singh, Pratap, and Haritashya, Umesh K., eds., Encyclopedia of snow, ice and glaciers: Springer Netherlands, 1st Edition, XLVI, p. 90-93. http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/978-90-481-2642-2_36
- Misra, D., Daanen, R.P., and Thompson, A.M., 2011, Discharge/streamflow, in Singh, Vijay P., Singh, Pratap, and Haritashya, Umesh K., eds., Encyclopedia of snow, ice and glaciers: Springer Netherlands, 1st Edition, XLVI, p. 234-236. http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/978-90-481-2642-2_115
- Misra, D., Daanen, R.P., and Thompson, A.M., 2011, Thermokarst, in Singh, Vijay P., Singh, Pratap, and Haritashya, Umesh K., eds., Encyclopedia of snow, ice and glaciers: Springer Netherlands, 1st Edition, XLVI, p. 1158-1166. http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/978-90-481-2642-2_575
- Thompson, A.M., Misra, D., and Daanen, R.P., 2011, Runoff generation, in Singh, Vijay P., Singh, Pratap, and Haritashya, Umesh K., eds., Encyclopedia of snow, ice and glaciers: Springer Netherlands, 1st Edition, XLVI, p. 953-955. http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/978-90-481-2642-2_457
- Thompson, A.M., Misra, D., and Daanen, R.P., 2011, Runoff observations, in Singh, Vijay P., Singh, Pratap, and Haritashya, Umesh K., eds., Encyclopedia of snow, ice and glaciers: Springer Netherlands, 1st Edition, XLVI, p. 955-957. http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/978-90-481-2642-2_458
- Walker, D.A., Hamilton, T.D., Ping, C.L., Daanen, R.P., and Streever, W.W., 2009, Dalton Highway Field Trip Guide for the Ninth International Conference on Permafrost: Alaska Division of Geological & Geophysical Surveys Guidebook 9, 104 p. https://doi.org/10.14509/18395
- Daanen, R.P., and Nieber, J.L., 2009, Model for coupled liquid water flow and heat transport with phase change in a snowpack: Journal of Cold Regions Engineering, v. 23(2), p. 43-68.
- Daanen, R.P., Romanovsky, V.E., Walker, D.A., and LaDouceur, M., 2008, High resolution, surface and subsurface, survey of a non-sorted circle system, in Kane, D.L. and Hinkel, K.M., eds., Proceedings of the Ninth International Conference on Permafrost, June 29-July 3, Fairbanks, Alaska: Institute of Northern Engineering, University of Alaska Fairbanks, v. 1, p. 321-326.
- Daanen, R.P., Misra, D., Epstein, H., Walker, D.A., and Romanovsky, V.E., 2008, Simulating non-sorted circle development in arctic tundra ecosystems: Journal of Geophysical Research: Biogeosciences, v. 113, G03S06. http://dx.doi.org/10.1029/2008JG000682
- Walker, D.A., Epstein, H.E., Romanovsky, V.E., Ping, C.L., Michaelson, G.J., Daanen, R.P., Shur, Y., Peterson, R.A., Krantz, W.B., Raynolds, M.K., Gould, W.A., Gonzalez, G., Nicolsky, D.J., Vonlanthen, C.M., Kade, A.N., Kuss, P., Kelley, A.M., Munger, C.A., Tarnocai, C.T., Matveyeva, N.V., and Daniëls, F.J.A., 2008, Arctic patterned-ground ecosystems: A synthesis of studies along a North American Arctic Transect: Journal of Geophysical Research: Biogeosciences, v. 113:17, G03S01. http://dx.doi.org/10.1029/2007jg000504
- Stendel, M., Christensen, J.H., Adalgeirsdóttir, G., Daanen, R.P., Marchenko, S., and Romanovsky, V., 2008, The fate of Greenland?s permafrost: Results from high-resolution transient climate simulations, in Kane, D.L. and Hinkel, K.M., eds., Proceedings of the Ninth International Conference on Permafrost, June 29-July 3, Fairbanks, Alaska: Institute of Northern Engineering, University of Alaska Fairbanks, v. 2, p. 1705-1710.
- Romanovsky, V.E., Marchenko, S.S., Daanen, R.P., Sergeev, D.O., and Walker, D.A., 2008, Soil climate and frost heave along the permafrost/ecological North American Arctic Transect, in Kane, D.L. and Hinkel, K.M., eds., Proceedings of the Ninth International Conference on Permafrost, June 29-July 3, Fairbanks, Alaska: Institute of Northern Engineering, University of Alaska Fairbanks, v. 2, p. 1519-1525.
- Daanen, R.P., and Misra, D., 2007, Modeling patterned ground in the arctic tundra: Vadose Zone Journal, v. 6, p. 694-704. http://dx.doi.org/10.2136/vzj2006.0173
- Cohen, D., Person, M., Daanen, R.P., Locke, S., Dahlstromn, D., Zabielski, V., Winter, T.C., Rosenberry, D.O., Wright, H., Ito, E., Nieber, J.L., and Gutowski, W.J., Jr., 2006, Groundwater supported evapotranspiration within glaciated watersheds under conditions of climate change: Journal of Hydrology, v. 320, p. 484-500.
- Misra, D., and Daanen, R.P., 2005, Visualizing frost boils: Challenges in science and engineering, reported by L. Nettleton, November Issue.
- Daanen, R.P., 2004, Modeling liquid water flow in snow: University of Minnesota, Ph.D. dissertation.
- Daanen, R.P., 1997, Water flow and heat transport under frost and thaw conditions at an arable field soil with snow cover near Sjökulla, Finland: Wageningen University, Sub-department Water Resources, M.S. thesis.
Selected Presentations
- Germann, J.T., and Daanen, R.P., 2023, Hydrological studies on Alaska's western North Slope - in support of ASTAR (presentation): Annual Conference Alaska Section of the American Water Resource Association, Anchorage, Alaska, March 6-8, 2023: Alaska Division of Geological & Geophysical Surveys, 1 sheet. https://doi.org/10.14509/31040
- Daanen, R.P., 2017, Cold regions hydrology: Developments and simulations in WaSiM (presentation): Third WaSiM User Conference, Munich, Germany, October 18-19, 2017.: Alaska Division of Geological & Geophysical Surveys, 21 p. https://doi.org/10.14509/29823
- Daanen, R.P., Emond, A.M., Cristobal, Jordi, Minsley, B.J., Prakash, Anupma, Holdmann, Gwen, Liljedahl, A.K., Walter Anthony, Katey, Romanovsky, V.E., and Barnes, D.L., 2016, Permafrost remote sensing through airborne electromagnetic geophysics and thermal anomalies (presentation): 14th International Circumpolar Remote Sensing Symposium, Homer, Alaska, September 12-16, 2016: Alaska Division of Geological & Geophysical Surveys, 30 p. https://doi.org/10.14509/29822
- Daanen, R.P., Schulla, Jorg, and Liljedahl, A.K., 2016, Thermal algorithms in the water balance simulation model (poster): 12th International Conference on Permafrost, Potsdam, Germany, June 20-24, 2016: Alaska Division of Geological & Geophysical Surveys, 1 sheet. https://doi.org/10.14509/29817
- Daanen, R.P., Darrow, M.M., and Hubbard, T.D., 2015, Influence of catchment properties on stability of frozen debris lobes (presentation): Cordilleran Section of the Geological Society of America 111th Annual Meeting, Anchorage, Alaska, May 11-13, 2015: Alaska Division of Geological & Geophysical Surveys, 21 p. https://doi.org/10.14509/29815
- Daanen, R.P., Darrow, M.M., and Hubbard, T.D., 2013, Frozen debris lobe stability, a function of thermal and hydrological processes (poster): American Geophysical Union, Fall Meeting, San Francisco, California, December 13, 2013: Alaska Division of Geological & Geophysical Surveys, 1 sheet. https://doi.org/10.14509/26886
- Chittambakkam, A., Daanen, R.P., Haselwimmer, C., Prakash, A., Mager, M., and Holdmann, G., 2013, Development of a reservoir stimulation model at Pilgrim Hot Springs, Alaska using TOUGH2: Stanford Geothermal Workshop, Stanford, CA, February, 2013.
- Zottola, J., Darrow, M., Daanen, R.P., Fortier, D., and de Grandpré, I., 2012, Investigating the effects of groundwater flow on the thermal stability of embankments over permafrost: 15th International Conference on Cold Regions Engineering, Quebec, Canada, August 19-22, 2012.
- Romanovsky, V.E., Marchenko, S.S., Daanen, R.P., Nicolsky, D.J., Sergeev, D.O., and Walker, D.A., 2007, Air and soil temperatures and frost heave along the permafrost/ecological North American Arctic Transect, in Proceedings of the International Conference: Cryogenic Resources of Polar Regions, Salekhard, Russia, June 17-20.
