Relations among Vegetation, Permafrost, and Potential Insolation in Central Alaska
Dingman SL and Koutz FR. 1974. Relations among Vegetation, Permafrost, and Potential Insolation in Central Alaska. Arctic and Alpine Research. 6(1):37-47
The distributions of vegetation types and discontinuous permafrost in a representative 1.8-km2 drainage basin in the Yukon-Tanana uplands were mapped in detail. A white spruce-birch forest is confined to the permafrost-free areas of the basin; other vegetation types are apparently underlain by permafrost at shallow depths. A solar-radiation index, based on the concept of equivalent latitude (a function of slope and aspect), was also mapped, and is closely related to the distributions of vegetation and permafrost. The boundary of permafrost in this area appears to coincide approximately with the isopleth of 265· cal· cm-2 day average-annual insolation. The thickness of the seasonally thawed zone above the permafrost is significantly correlated with the solar-radiation index, although vegetation characteristics appear to be at least as important in controlling this.
- Type
- Journal Article
- Authors
- Dingman, S; Koutz, Fleetwood
- Units
- CAKN , DENA , WRST , YUCH
- Keywords
- equivalent latitude, Geomorphology, Microclimate, Permafrost, Subarctic