Climatic relationships of permafrost zones in areas of low winter snow-cover

Auteur :
HARRIS, S. A.

Description :
In areas with under 50cm snow cover in winter, the permafrost zones are defined by the freezing indices and thawing indices. The warmer boundary of the zone of continuous permafrost traverses the mean annual air temperature (MAAT). The boundary between discontinuous and sporadic permafrost lies just on the cold side of 0C MAAT. The sporadic permafrost zone includes the zone of ice caves and the regions with patches of ice beneath ponds and peatbogs, out to 5C MAAT at a thawing index of 4000 degree days per year. The relationship works for Norway, Iceland Spitsbergen, Canada and the People's Republic of Mongolia. There are some marked variations in lapse rate from one environment to another. Calculations of past world climatic change based on data from one area will be difficult.


Type de document :
Article de périodique

Source :
Biuletyn peryglacjalny Lodz, 1981, vol. 28, p. 227-240, Références bibliographiques : 35réf.

Date :
1981