CHANGES IN PERMAFROST AND ACTIVE-LAYER TEMPERATURES ALONG AN ALASKAN PERMAFROST-ECOLOGICAL TRANSECT

Vladimir Romanovsky, William Cable, Alexander Kholodov

In the proceedings of: GeoQuébec 2015: 68th Canadian Geotechnical Conference & 7th Canadian Permafrost Conference

Session: Characterization of Permafrost State and Variability I / Caractérisation et variabilité du pergélisol I

ABSTRACT: In this paper we report changes in permafrost temperatures during the last 30 years in Alaska. Most of the research sites in our network are located along an Alaskan Permafrost-Ecological Transect. This transect spans all permafrost zones in Alaska. Most of the sites in Alaska show substantial warming of permafrost since the 1980s. The magnitude of warming has varied with location, but is typically from 0.5 to 3°C. However, this warming is not linear in time and is not spatially uniform. While permafrost warming has been more or less continuous on the North Slope of Alaska with a rate between 0.2 to 0.5°C per decade, permafrost temperatures in the Alaskan Interior started to experience a slight cooling in the 2000s that has continued during the first half of the 2010s. The observed climate warming has triggered permafrost degradation in Alaska, especially in the north and at the locations which are affected by human activities.

RÉSUMÉ: Dans cet article, nous présentons les changements de température du pergélisol durant les 30 dernières années en Alaska. La plupart des sites de recherche du réseau sont situés en Alas-écologique». Ce transect traverse toutes les zones de pergélisol en Alaska. La plupart de ces sites montre un réchauffement endroits, oscille entre 0.5 environ depuis les années 2000 et le début des années 2010. Ces variations climatiques ont déclenché la dégradation du pergélisol en Alaska, particulièrement dans le nord et dans les endroits affectés par les activités humaines.

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