Active layer thickness and ground temperatures during 1991-2008 at permafrost sites in northern North America ...

• Main Authors: Smith, S L, Romanovsky, Vladimir E, Lewkowicz, Antoni G, Burn, C R, Allard, Maël, Clow, Gary D, Yoshikawa, Kenji, Throop, J
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: PANGAEA 2010
• Subjects: International Polar Year 2007-2008 IPY; Active layer thickness; International Polar Year; IPY; permafrost; Yukon
• Online Access: https://dx.doi.org/10.1594/pangaea.837173; https://doi.pangaea.de/10.1594/PANGAEA.837173

A snapshot of the thermal state of permafrost in northern North America during the International Polar Year (IPY) was developed using ground temperature data collected from 350 boreholes. More than half these were established during IPY to enhance the network in sparsely monitored regions. The measurement sites span a diverse range of ecoclimatic and geological conditions across the continent and are at various elevations within the Cordillera. The ground temperatures within the discontinuous permafrost zone are generally above -3°C, and range down to - 15°C in the continuous zone. Ground temperature envelopes vary according to substrate, with shallow depths of zero annual amplitude for peat and mineral soils, and much greater depths for bedrock. New monitoring sites in the mountains of southern and central Yukon suggest that permafrost may be limited in extent. In concert with regional air temperatures, permafrost has generally been warming across North America for the past several decades, as indicated by ... : Data extracted in the frame of a joint ICSTI/PANGAEA IPY effort, see http://doi.pangaea.de/10.1594/PANGAEA.150150 ...