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PERMAFROST PATCH SIZE IN THE SPORADIC DISCONTINUOUS AND ISOLATED PATCHES PERMAFROST ZONES, SOUTHERN YUKON AND NORTHERN B.C.
Session: Geocryology I / Géocryologie I
Olivier Bellehumeur-Genier, University of Ottawa - Department of Geography (Canada)
Antoni Lewkowicz, University of Ottawa - Department of Geography (Canada)
Little is known about permafrost patch size, trends and dynamics from the southernmost limit of discontinuous permafrost through to the boundary of continuous permafrost. This research focused on evaluating permafrost patch size and related variables along a 1400 km transect between Fort St. John, BC and Whitehorse, YT. Methods used included electrical resistivity tomography (ERT), climate data collection, active layer measurement, analysis of historic aerial photos, and on-site near-vertical aerial imaging. Field observations indicate that discrete permafrost patches are in the order of 101-103 m2 in area and that permafrost boundaries at a given site are influenced by microtopography, slope, drainage, substrate, and antecedent disturbance. Ongoing data analysis is expected to establish whether spatial trends in permafrost patch size and characteristics exist along the transect or whether local factors are the primary controls.
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