Circumpolar permafrost maps and geohazard indices for near-future infrastructure risk assessments.

ABSTRACT: Ongoing climate change is causing fundamental changes in the Arctic, some of which can be hazardous to nature and human activity. In the context of Earth surface systems, warming climate may lead to rising ground temperatures and thaw of permafrost. This Data Descriptor presents circumpolar permafrost maps and geohazard indices depicting zones of varying potential for development of hazards related to near-surface permafrost degradation, such as ground subsidence. Statistical models were used to predict ground temperature and the thickness of the seasonally thawed (active) layer using geospatial data on environmental conditions at 30 arc-second resolution. These predictions, together with data on factors (ground ice content, soil grain size and slope gradient) affecting permafrost stabilit

SUBMITTER: Karjalainen O 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6413688 | biostudies-literature | 2019 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature