68th Canadian Geotechnical Conference and 7th Canadian Permafrost Conference

VARIABILITY AND CHANGE IN PERMAFROST THERMAL STATE IN NORTHERN CANADA

Session: Characterization of Permafrost State and Variability I / Caractérisation et variabilité du pergélisol I

Sharon Smith, Geological Survey of Canada, Natural Resources Canadad (Canada)
Antoni Lewkowicz, University of Ottawa (Canada)
Caroline Duchesne, Geological Survey of Canada, Natural Resources Canada (Canada)
Mark Ednie, Geological Survey of Canada, Natural Resources Canada (Canada)

The thermal state of permafrost snapshot established during the International Polar Year (IPY 2007-09) provided a baseline against which future change could be measured. Comparison of permafrost temperatures measured 4 to 5 years post IPY to the IPY snapshot indicates that temperatures have increased at many sites with larger increases found in the eastern and high Arctic compared to the western Arctic, a continuation of a longer term trend. These regional differences in the changes in permafrost thermal state are associated with regional variations in air temperature trends.