ICE‐WEDGE CRACKS, WESTERN ARCTIC COAST
Summary Ice‐wedge ice is one of the most abundant types of nearly pure ground ice to be found along the western Arctic coast and, indeed, in many other permafrost areas of the world. Ice wedges grow because thermal contraction cracks open in winter and become infilled with water in spring to form in...
| Published in: | The Canadian Geographer/Le Géographe canadien |
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| Main Author: | |
| Format: | Article in Journal/Newspaper |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Wiley
1989
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| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1541-0064.1989.tb00923.x https://api.wiley.com/onlinelibrary/tdm/v1/articles/10.1111%2Fj.1541-0064.1989.tb00923.x https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1111/j.1541-0064.1989.tb00923.x |
| Summary: | Summary Ice‐wedge ice is one of the most abundant types of nearly pure ground ice to be found along the western Arctic coast and, indeed, in many other permafrost areas of the world. Ice wedges grow because thermal contraction cracks open in winter and become infilled with water in spring to form incremental ice veinlets. Long‐term winter observations along the western Arctic coast have provided details of crack opening and closing, propagation, and cracking frequency. Ice‐wedge cracking is sensitive to climatic factors, particularly the winter snowfall. Therefore, long‐term monitoring of ice‐wedge cracks should be of interest in the study of climatic change and the interpretation of the size‐age relations of ice wedges. |
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