Temporal Changes in Moisture Content of the Active Layer and Near-Surface Permafrost at Barrow, Alaska, U.S.A.: 1962-1994
Hinkel KM, Nelson FE, Shur Y, Brown J, Everett KR. 1996. Temporal Changes in Moisture Content of the Active Layer and Near-Surface Permafrost at Barrow, Alaska, U.S.A.: 1962-1994. Arctic and Alpine Research. 28(3):300-310
Cores were extracted from frozen ground along a transect near Barrow, Alaska in spring 1963, and resampled within 0.5 m of the original boreholes in November 1993 and again in May 1994. Cores were cut into 5-cm segments and moisture content determined using standard techniques. The near-surface permafrost appears, on average, to have undergone ice enrichment from 1963 to 1993 since the mean volumetric water increased from about 57 to 62% over this 30-yr period. Comparison of the 1993 and 1994 data sets indicate slight depletion (3%) of moisture during winter in the paired samples extracted from the permafrost and the active layer. Although the results indicate winter desiccation and long-term (30-yr) net moisture gain in the upper permafrost, some evidence suggests that these patterns reflect the effects of spatial heterogeneity across short (<0.5 m) lateral distances.
- Type
- Journal Article
- Authors
- Hinkel, K; Nelson, F; Shur, Y; Brown, J; Everett, K
- Units
- ARCN , BELA , CAKR , GAAR , KOVA , NOAT
- Keywords
- Arctic, Depth, heat, methane content, prairie soils, seasonally frozen soils, Snowmelt Infiltration, thaw, Thermal, Tundra, water-movement