Seasonally frozen soil strongly influences runoff and
erosion on large areas of land around the world. In
many areas, rain or snowmelt on seasonally frozen
soil is the single leading cause of severe runoff and
erosion events. As soils freeze, ice blocks the soil
pores, greatly diminishing the permeability of the
soil. This is aggravated by the tendency of water to
migrate to the freezing front, causing elevated ice
content and frost heav
