Factors affecting the distribution of permafrost, Mackenzie Delta, N.W.T. ...

• Main Author: Smith, Michael William
• Format: Text
• Language: English
• Published: University of British Columbia 2011
• Subjects: Inuvik; Mackenzie Delta; permafrost
• Online Access: https://dx.doi.org/10.14288/1.0101140; https://doi.library.ubc.ca/10.14288/1.0101140

Variations in ground temperature regime and permafrost distribution were studied in a small area about 50 km northwest of Inuvik, N.W.T., in the east-central part of the Mackenzie Delta. The ground thermal regime is influenced by surface conditions, the nature of which varies spatially and temporally. Relationships obtained for the present set of environmental conditions are applied to the analysis of permafrost dynamics where surface boundary conditions have changed. The Delta is an area of active sedimentation and erosion and about 50 percent of the study area is covered by water bodies. A major distributary in the study area is undergoing lateral migration and the local configuration of permafrost is closely related to the history of river migration. Further, vegetation shows a successional sequence related to river migration, and there is thus a complex interaction between vegetation, topography and microclimate. The major objectives of the study were: 1) To describe the permafrost and ground temperature ...