‘Warm’ Tundra: Atmospheric and Near‐Surface Ground Temperature Inversions Across an Alpine Treeline in Continuous Permafrost, Western Arctic, Canada
Abstract Permafrost conditions were examined between 2010 and 2014 at four sites across an alpine treeline on Peel Plateau, Northwest Territories, Canada. Ground and air temperature sensors were installed in forest and tundra between 30 and 500 m asl. Annual mean air temperatures increased and the n...
Published in: | Permafrost and Periglacial Processes |
---|---|
Main Authors: | , , , |
Other Authors: | , , |
Format: | Article in Journal/Newspaper |
Language: | English |
Published: |
Wiley
2015
|
Subjects: | |
Online Access: | http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/ppp.1838 https://api.wiley.com/onlinelibrary/tdm/v1/articles/10.1002%2Fppp.1838 https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1002/ppp.1838 |
id |
crwiley:10.1002/ppp.1838 |
---|---|
record_format |
openpolar |
spelling |
crwiley:10.1002/ppp.1838 2024-06-02T08:01:08+00:00 ‘Warm’ Tundra: Atmospheric and Near‐Surface Ground Temperature Inversions Across an Alpine Treeline in Continuous Permafrost, Western Arctic, Canada O'Neill, H. B. Burn, C. R. Kokelj, S. V. Lantz, T. C. Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development Canada Northwest Territories Cumulative Impacts Monitoring Program 2015 http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/ppp.1838 https://api.wiley.com/onlinelibrary/tdm/v1/articles/10.1002%2Fppp.1838 https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1002/ppp.1838 en eng Wiley http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/termsAndConditions#vor Permafrost and Periglacial Processes volume 26, issue 2, page 103-118 ISSN 1045-6740 1099-1530 journal-article 2015 crwiley https://doi.org/10.1002/ppp.1838 2024-05-03T12:00:57Z Abstract Permafrost conditions were examined between 2010 and 2014 at four sites across an alpine treeline on Peel Plateau, Northwest Territories, Canada. Ground and air temperature sensors were installed in forest and tundra between 30 and 500 m asl. Annual mean air temperatures increased and the number of freezing degree days declined with elevation, due to persistent winter air temperature inversions. The annual mean temperature at the permafrost surface (T ps ) in mineral soils increased with elevation from about −2.5 °C in lowland forest to about −1.5 °C in dwarf shrub tundra. The increase in T ps coincided with higher air temperatures and earlier snow accumulation at tundra sites. The higher T ps in alpine tundra compared to lowland forest in Peel Plain contrasts with the northward decrease in T ps across latitudinal treeline elsewhere in the western Arctic. An increase in T ps with elevation may be common in Arctic mountain environments due to the prevalence of atmospheric temperature inversions in winter. In such contexts, although vegetation characteristics are governed by summer climate, permafrost conditions are critically influenced by the winter regime. The tundra permafrost on Peel Plateau is considerably warmer and, hence, more sensitive to disturbance than perennially frozen ground north of treeline in other parts of the western Arctic. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. Article in Journal/Newspaper Arctic Northwest Territories permafrost Permafrost and Periglacial Processes Tundra Wiley Online Library Arctic Canada Northwest Territories Permafrost and Periglacial Processes 26 2 103 118 |
institution |
Open Polar |
collection |
Wiley Online Library |
op_collection_id |
crwiley |
language |
English |
description |
Abstract Permafrost conditions were examined between 2010 and 2014 at four sites across an alpine treeline on Peel Plateau, Northwest Territories, Canada. Ground and air temperature sensors were installed in forest and tundra between 30 and 500 m asl. Annual mean air temperatures increased and the number of freezing degree days declined with elevation, due to persistent winter air temperature inversions. The annual mean temperature at the permafrost surface (T ps ) in mineral soils increased with elevation from about −2.5 °C in lowland forest to about −1.5 °C in dwarf shrub tundra. The increase in T ps coincided with higher air temperatures and earlier snow accumulation at tundra sites. The higher T ps in alpine tundra compared to lowland forest in Peel Plain contrasts with the northward decrease in T ps across latitudinal treeline elsewhere in the western Arctic. An increase in T ps with elevation may be common in Arctic mountain environments due to the prevalence of atmospheric temperature inversions in winter. In such contexts, although vegetation characteristics are governed by summer climate, permafrost conditions are critically influenced by the winter regime. The tundra permafrost on Peel Plateau is considerably warmer and, hence, more sensitive to disturbance than perennially frozen ground north of treeline in other parts of the western Arctic. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. |
author2 |
Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development Canada Northwest Territories Cumulative Impacts Monitoring Program |
format |
Article in Journal/Newspaper |
author |
O'Neill, H. B. Burn, C. R. Kokelj, S. V. Lantz, T. C. |
spellingShingle |
O'Neill, H. B. Burn, C. R. Kokelj, S. V. Lantz, T. C. ‘Warm’ Tundra: Atmospheric and Near‐Surface Ground Temperature Inversions Across an Alpine Treeline in Continuous Permafrost, Western Arctic, Canada |
author_facet |
O'Neill, H. B. Burn, C. R. Kokelj, S. V. Lantz, T. C. |
author_sort |
O'Neill, H. B. |
title |
‘Warm’ Tundra: Atmospheric and Near‐Surface Ground Temperature Inversions Across an Alpine Treeline in Continuous Permafrost, Western Arctic, Canada |
title_short |
‘Warm’ Tundra: Atmospheric and Near‐Surface Ground Temperature Inversions Across an Alpine Treeline in Continuous Permafrost, Western Arctic, Canada |
title_full |
‘Warm’ Tundra: Atmospheric and Near‐Surface Ground Temperature Inversions Across an Alpine Treeline in Continuous Permafrost, Western Arctic, Canada |
title_fullStr |
‘Warm’ Tundra: Atmospheric and Near‐Surface Ground Temperature Inversions Across an Alpine Treeline in Continuous Permafrost, Western Arctic, Canada |
title_full_unstemmed |
‘Warm’ Tundra: Atmospheric and Near‐Surface Ground Temperature Inversions Across an Alpine Treeline in Continuous Permafrost, Western Arctic, Canada |
title_sort |
‘warm’ tundra: atmospheric and near‐surface ground temperature inversions across an alpine treeline in continuous permafrost, western arctic, canada |
publisher |
Wiley |
publishDate |
2015 |
url |
http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/ppp.1838 https://api.wiley.com/onlinelibrary/tdm/v1/articles/10.1002%2Fppp.1838 https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1002/ppp.1838 |
geographic |
Arctic Canada Northwest Territories |
geographic_facet |
Arctic Canada Northwest Territories |
genre |
Arctic Northwest Territories permafrost Permafrost and Periglacial Processes Tundra |
genre_facet |
Arctic Northwest Territories permafrost Permafrost and Periglacial Processes Tundra |
op_source |
Permafrost and Periglacial Processes volume 26, issue 2, page 103-118 ISSN 1045-6740 1099-1530 |
op_rights |
http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/termsAndConditions#vor |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.1002/ppp.1838 |
container_title |
Permafrost and Periglacial Processes |
container_volume |
26 |
container_issue |
2 |
container_start_page |
103 |
op_container_end_page |
118 |
_version_ |
1800745385004630016 |