Permafrost: Definition and Extent
Permafrost is a rock or soil the temperature of which is ≤0°C for at least two consecutive years. It is formed as a result of a freezing climate. It occurs at all latitudes around the world in continuous, discontinuous, sporadic, and isolated patches and covers more than 36 × 10 6 km 2 . It is invis...
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| Format: | Other/Unknown Material |
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Wiley
2017
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| Online Access: | http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/9781118786352.wbieg0277 https://api.wiley.com/onlinelibrary/tdm/v1/articles/10.1002%2F9781118786352.wbieg0277 https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1002/9781118786352.wbieg0277 |
| Summary: | Permafrost is a rock or soil the temperature of which is ≤0°C for at least two consecutive years. It is formed as a result of a freezing climate. It occurs at all latitudes around the world in continuous, discontinuous, sporadic, and isolated patches and covers more than 36 × 10 6 km 2 . It is invisible and separated from the surface by an active layer from zero to several meters thick. The Arctic permafrost is connected with colder weather resulting from the increase of latitude. In the Northern Hemisphere it covers especially: Canada, Alaska, and Siberia, with a depth reaching up to 1500 m. Mountain permafrost begins at an altitude of 500 m above sea level (a.s.l.) and reaches up to an altitude of 8848 m in the Himalayas. On the Southern Hemisphere it covers Antarctica and the mountain range of the Andes, about 13.5 × 10 6 km 2 in total. It also occurs in space. |
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