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ECOSYSTEM IMPACTS OF HIGH ARCTIC PERMAFROST DISTURBANCES
Session: Permafrost Degradation I / Dégradation du pergélisol I
Alison Cassidy, UBC (Canada)
Manon Desforges, graduate student (Canada)
Greg Henry, Professor (Canada)
Active layer detachment slides located at Hot Weather Creek, Ellesmere Island, were studied during the growing season of 1994 and revisited during 2012 to determine the short- and long-term impacts on vegetation and ecosystem processes. Distinct vegetation communities exist in differently aged disturbances with unique species defining various zones and ages of disturbance. Zonal differences illustrate the varying responses of the ecosystem to disturbance and differing modes of recovery. Disturbances affect site soil characteristics over the long-term, exemplified through soil nutrients (specifically nitrate), soil moisture, and active layer depths measured during the 2012 sampling period.
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