Permafrost monitoring protocol for the Arctic Network: Narrative
Swanson DK. 2017. Permafrost monitoring protocol for the Arctic Network: Narrative. Natural Resource Report. NPS/ARCN/NRR—2017/1396. National Park Service. Fort Collins, Colorado
Permafrost underlies most of the Arctic Inventory and Monitoring Network (ARCN) and has been selected as a monitoring vital sign. Significant thaw of permafrost is considered likely with future climate change, and this thaw would have important ecological consequences, such as drainage of lakes, creation of new ponds, soil erosion, slumping, siltation of streams and lakes, release of greenhouse gasses, and changes in soil wetness and nutrient supplies leading to vegetation changes. Long-term monitoring of permafrost will focus on monitoring of ground temperatures and monitoring of permafrost-related landforms. Ground temperatures will be monitored at climate monitoring stations; this monitoring will help us understand the vulnerably of permafrost to thaw. Landform monitoring will track some of the outward effects of changes in permafrost on ecosystems. Landforms will be monitored with remote sensing in 3 different projects: 1) comprehensive mapping of bare-soil features produced by thaw of permafrost (active-layer detachment failures and retrogressive thaw slumps) on high-resolution satellite imagery; 2) intensive monitoring of selected retrogressive thaw slumps by three-dimensional modeling using small-format aerial photography; and 3) monitoring of ice-wedge degradation and other thermokarst features using high-resolution imagery.
- Type
- Published Report
- Authors
- Swanson, David
- Date of Issue
- 2017-02
- Publisher
- National Park Service
- Units
- ARCN , BELA , CAKR , GAAR , KOVA , NOAT , NRSS
- Keywords
- arctic, ice-wedge polygons, monitoring, permafrost, remote sensing, temperature, thermal erosion, thermokarst