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  • Permafrost Characterization and Mapping for Northern Alaska Final Report

    Metadata Updated: November 12, 2020

    Permafrost is a unique characteristic of polar regions and high mountains and is fundamental to geomorphic processes and ecological development in permafrost-affected environments. Because permafrost impedes drainage and ice-rich permafrost settles upon thawing, degradation of permafrost in response to climate change will have large consequences for tundra and boreal ecosystems (Osterkamp 2005, Jorgenson and Osterkamp 2005, Shur and Osterkamp 2007, Jorgenson et al. 2010, 2013). Thawing permafrost affects surface hydrology by impounding water in subsiding areas and enhances drainage of upland areas. Changes in soil drainage alter soil carbon dynamics, habitats for vegetation and wildlife, and emissions of greenhouse gases (Ping et al. 2002, Grosse et al. 2011), but the magnitude of these changes is highly dependent on the type and amount of ground ice, surficial materials, and thaw-settlement characteristics (Shur 1977, 1988, Shur and Osterkamp 2007, Pullman et al. 2007, Jorgenson 2008a). Despite the critical importance of permafrost to ecosystem responses to climate change, permafrost characteristics of Alaska have been mapped in only generalized regional maps (Ferrians 1965, Jorgenson et al. 2008b), and site-level terrain unit maps for engineering design and impact assessments (Kreig and Reger 1982, Jorgenson et al. 2004). An intermediate-level map is needed to improve landscape-level assessments, regional climate impact modeling and prediction, and as an intermediate step toward developing a larger scale surficial geology/permafrost map for Alaska. In turn, progress in improving permafrost maps will depend on compilation and acquisition of field data that form the basis for photo-interpretation and spatial extrapolation

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    License: No license information was provided. If this work was prepared by an officer or employee of the United States government as part of that person's official duties it is considered a U.S. Government Work.

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    Dates

    Metadata Date 2019-09-09T03:18:16-08:00
    Metadata Created Date November 12, 2020
    Metadata Updated Date November 12, 2020
    Reference Date(s) June 8, 2015 (lastUpdate), April 23, 2015 (publication)
    Frequency Of Update asNeeded

    Metadata Source

    Harvested from DOI Open Data

    Additional Metadata

    Resource Type Report
    Metadata Date 2019-09-09T03:18:16-08:00
    Metadata Created Date November 12, 2020
    Metadata Updated Date November 12, 2020
    Reference Date(s) June 8, 2015 (lastUpdate), April 23, 2015 (publication)
    Responsible Party (Point of Contact); Arctic Landscape Conservation Cooperative (Point of Contact, Publisher)
    Contact Email
    Guid aca3ad4a-af01-4333-b524-10f98405be56
    Access Constraints
    Bbox East Long -137.69957884973
    Bbox North Lat 71.784917980758
    Bbox South Lat 66.838873366685
    Bbox West Long -166.90319788206
    Coupled Resource
    Frequency Of Update asNeeded
    Licence While every effort has been made to ensure that these data are accurate and reliable within the limits of the current state of the art, the Arctic Landscape Conservation Cooperative cannot assume liability for any damages caused by any errors or omissions in the data, nor as a result of the failure of the data to function on a particular system. The Arctic Landscape Conservation Cooperative makes no warranty, expressed or implied, nor does the fact of distribution constitute such a warranty., null
    Metadata Language
    Metadata Type geospatial
    Progress completed
    Spatial Data Service Type
    Spatial Reference System
    Spatial Harvester True

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