ARCTIC Altitude Trends in Permafrost Active Layer Thickness

ABSTRACT. On the northwest-facing slopes of Outpost Mountain, Kluane Lake, the permafrost active layer shows an anomalous relationship with altitude, being thinner (typically 40 cm) between 823 and 910 m altitude than above or below this belt. Maximum thicknesses (about 90 cm) are encountered in the...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Author: Stuart A. Harris
Other Authors: The Pennsylvania State University CiteSeerX Archives
Format: Text
Language:English
Published: 1987
Subjects:
Arctic
Kluane Lake
Outpost Mountain
Active layer thickness
permafrost
toundra
Tundra
Online Access:http://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/summary?doi=10.1.1.535.6843
http://pubs.aina.ucalgary.ca/arctic/Arctic40-3-179.pdf
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Summary:ABSTRACT. On the northwest-facing slopes of Outpost Mountain, Kluane Lake, the permafrost active layer shows an anomalous relationship with altitude, being thinner (typically 40 cm) between 823 and 910 m altitude than above or below this belt. Maximum thicknesses (about 90 cm) are encountered in the shrub tundra at 13 10 m elevation. These thicknesses do not correlate with soil types or suprapermafrost drainage, but they do correlate well with the thickness of the organic mat (Of layer) where this exceeds 2.5 cm thickness. The mat apparently acts as a natural insulator. Key words: Of thickness, active layer thickness, alpine permafrost, altitudinal variations, alpine and subalpine vegetation IUbUME. Sur les pentes nord-ouest de la montagne Outpost au lac Kluane, lacouche active du perg6lisol montre une anomalie avec I ’a l t i tude, 6tant plus mince (40 cm en g6n6ral) entre 823 et 910 m d’altitude, qu’au-dessus ou en dessous de ce niveau. Les 6paisseurs maximales (90 cm environ) se trouvent dans les arbustes de la toundra h une altitude de 1310 m. Ces 6paisseurs ne pdsentent pas de codlation avec les types de s o l ou le drainage du supraperg6liso1, mais elles en pksentent une &s nette avec l’bpaisseur du tapis de maeriau organique (la couche Of) 18 oil il dkpasse 2,5 cm d’kpaisseur. Ce tapis semble agir c o m e un isolant naturel. Mots clts: 6paisseur Of, 6paisseur de la couche active, perg6lisol alpin, variations avec I’altitude, v6gktation alpine et subalpine Traduit pour le journal par NCsida Loyer.

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