HR: 11:55h
AN: C22A-07    [Abstracts]
TI: Nature and Extent of Permafrost Degradation in the Discontinuous Permafrost Zone in Alaska
AU: * Jorgenson, T
EM: tjorgenson@abrinc.com
AF: ABR, Inc., PO Box 80410, Fairbanks, AK 99708 United States
AU: Shur, Y
EM: ffys@uaf.edu
AF: University of Alaska Fairbanks, PO Box 755900, Fairbanks, AK 99775 United States
AU: Osterkamp, T
EM: tomeo@yhti.net
AF: University of Alaska Fairbanks, PO Box 755900, Fairbanks, AK 99775 United States
AU: George, T
EM: tgeorge@mosquitonet.com
AF: Terra-Terpret, 2348 Inclination Drive, Fairbanks, AK 99709 United States
AB: To quantify the nature and extent of permafrost degradation within the zone of discontinuous permafrost in Alaska, terrain conditions were photo-interpreted from systematically acquired aerial photography. Large-scale, high-resolution, geo-referenced photographs were acquired at 10-km intervals along 5 parallel flight lines totaling 4600 km. At the center-point of each photograph, the presence or absence of permafrost degradation features was photo-interpreted, as well as the degradation mode, physiography, geomorphic unit, vegetation, and the percent of degradation features within a 100-m radius. Degradation modes were classified into 16 types, such as thermokarst lake, collapse-scar bog, thermokarst trough network, glacial thermokarst lake, thaw slumps, and thermokarst gullies. The sampling network can serve as the basis for monitoring the rate of future permafrost degradation.
DE: 0475 Permafrost, cryosphere, and high-latitude processes (0702, 0716)
SC: Cryosphere [C]
MN: Fall Meeting 2005