Dr. Ming Xiao is a Professor of Civil Engineering and Director of the Civil Infrastructure Testing and Evaluation Laboratory (CITEL) in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at the Pennsylvania State University. His research focuses on performances of civil infrastructure and permafrost coastal erosion due to permafrost degradation in the Arctic. He has led collaborative and cross-disciplinary research projects funded by the National Science Foundation, Federal Highway Administration, Department of Interior, and state Departments of Transportation to address infrastructure systems’ challenges. He is a Fellow of the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE).
Resources
Infrastructure and Community Resilience in the Changing Arctic: Status, Challenges, and Research Needs
Permafrost thaw is one of the world’s most pressing climate problems, already disrupting lifestyles, livelihoods, economies, and ecosystems in the north, and threatening to spill beyond the boundaries of the Arctic as our planet continues to warm. To examine the effects of permafrost degradation, and increase our understanding of what this phenomenon means for the future of the region (and the world), The Arctic Institute’s new two-part permafrost series aims to analyze the topic from scientific, security, legal, and personal perspectives.
2023 Arctic Coasts Workshop Report: Changes, Impacts, and Solutions - Working Towards a Resilient Future
The Arctic Coasts Workshop was held on October 9 to 11, 2023 at the University of Colorado Boulder. 64 in-person and 4 on-line participants attended the workshop. The goal of the workshop was to bring together a dynamic group of experts to exchange knowledge regarding coastal hazards and impacts, strengthen and expand partnerships, and develop actionable and immediate recommendation for Arctic research and community resilience.
Permafrost Coastal Erosion Research Coordination Network (PCE-RCN)
The Permafrost Coastal Erosion Research Coordination Network (PCE-RCN) is established to identify challenges of and solutions to Arctic coastal permafrost erosion as well as its socioecological impacts by converging natural sciences, social sciences, and engineering. The project is funded by the Office of Polar Programs of the National Science Foundation.
Resilience and Adaptation to the Effects of Permafrost Degradation Induced Coastal Erosion
A Navigating the New Arctic (NNA) project update video produced for the April 2020 virtual NNA Investigators meeting. The video is narrated by Dr. Ming Xiao (Pennsylvania State University).
Publications
Wang, Z., M. Xiao, M. Liew, A. Jensen, L. Farquharson, V. Romanovsky, D. Nicolsky, C. McComb, B.M. Jones, X. Zhang, and L. Alessa, 2023: Arctic geohazard mapping tools for civil infrastructure planning: A systematic review, Cold Regions Science and Technology, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.coldregions.2023.103969
Wang, Z., M. Xiao, M. Bray, and M. Darrow, 2024: Experimental Investigation of Thermal and Hydraulic Properties of Ice-Rich Saline Permafrost in Northern Alaska, Cold Regions Engineering 2024: Sustainable and Resilient Engineering Solutions for Changing Cold Regions, https://doi.org/10.1061/9780784485460.026
Liew, M., X. Ji, M. Xiao, L. Farquharson, D. Nicolsky, V. Romanovsky, M. Bray, X. Zhang, and C. McComb, 2022: Synthesis of physical processes of permafrost degradation and geophysical and geomechanical properties of permafrost, Cold Regions Science and Technology, 198, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.coldregions.2022.103522
Liew, M., M. Xiao, L. Farquharson, D. Nicolsky, A. Jensen, V. Romanovsky, J. Peirce, L. Alessa, C. McComb, X. Zhang, and B. Jones, 2022: Understanding Effects of Permafrost Degradation and Coastal Erosion on Civil Infrastructure in Arctic Coastal Villages: A Community Survey and Knowledge Co-Production, Journal of Marine Science and Engineering, 10(3), https://doi.org/10.3390/jmse10030422.