IV. 4. SIMPLE GRAPHICAL METHODS FOR ESTIMATING THE LOCATION OF PERMAFROST UNDER SHALLOW LAKES AND RIVERS

• Main Authors: W. G. Brown, The Investigations Reported Johnston
• Other Authors: The Pennsylvania State University CiteSeerX Archives
• Format: Text
• Language: English
• Subjects: Mackay; permafrost
• Online Access: http://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/summary?doi=10.1.1.562.6577; http://pubs.aina.ucalgary.ca/cpc/CPC1-226.pdf

Mackay (4) a r e concerned with the location of permafros t in the neighbourhood of shallow bodies of water. Because problems of this s o r t will probably occur with increasing frequency in the future, an introduction to some simple graphical methods for estimating the t empera tu re reg ime i n the ground and the resulting position of the pe rmaf ros t table is presented he re. Wherever the re i s a body of water, whose mean annual tem-pe ra tu re i s above freezing, a thawing back of the permafros t under and about i t will occur. The location of the permafrost table then depends on a number of fac tors, the principal ones being the mean annual water and ground surface tempera tures,and the geothermal gradient fo r the region. Other governing conditions a r e the s ize and shape of the bodies of water and the constancy of their shape and s ize with the passage of t ime. Obviously possession of detailed informa-t ion on tempora l var iat ions will not probably be available, but because