Jerry Brown

1

Permafrost-Seasonally Frozen Ground and IGOS-C
Jerry Brown International Permafrost
Association October 16-18, 2006
2
Argentina Austria Belgium Canada China Denmark Fin
land Germany Iceland Italy Japan Kazakhstan Mongol
ia Netherlands New Zealand Norway Poland Portugal
Russia South Africa Spain Sweden Switzerland UK US
A
Look Global - Think Local Mapping - Remote
Sensing Monitoring Modeling
3
IPA Cooperation

• CLiC SCAR - IPA Partners (CLiC MOU)
• GCOS - TOPC - IGOS-C (GTN-P/TSP)
• ESSP - GCP (CAPP)
• ICARP - IASC - AOSB
• NEESPI
• IPY - WMO, ICSU (four permafrost related
  approved projects)
• GEO (as of October 16, 2006)
• ESA - Challenge 5 (SP-1305)

Argentina Austria Canada China Denmark Finland Ger
many Iceland Italy Japan Kazakhstan Mongolia Nethe
rlands New Zealand Norway Poland PortugalRussia S
outh Africa Spain Sweden Switzerland UK USA
http//www.geo.uio.no/IPA/
4
IPY Approved Projects

Response and Role of Permafrost on a Warming
Planet
Argentina Austria Belgium Canada China Denmark Fin
land Germany Iceland Italy Japan Kazakhstan Mongol
ia Netherlands New Zealand Norway Poland Portugal
Russia South Africa Spain Sweden Switzerland UK US
A

• Project 50 Observatory Project A Contribution
  to the Thermal State of Permafrost (TSP)
• Project 90 Arctic Circumpolar Coastal
  Observatory Network (ACCO-Net)
• Project 373 Carbon Pools in Permafrost Regions
  (CAPP)
• Project 33 Antarctic and sub-Antarctic
  Permafrost, Periglacial and Soil Environments
  (ANTPAS)
• Education, Outreach and Data - PYRN, IUCP, CAPS

5

• IPA-IPY Permafrost Legacy
• International Network of Permafrost
  Observatories
• Sustainable Permafrost Database and Mapping
• New Generation of Permafrost Researchers(PYRN)

6
Permafrost regions about 23.9 of the land mass
Seasonally frozen ground regions about 57 on
average (Zhang et al., 2003).
7
(No Transcript)
8
GTN-P WMO/GCOS - FAO/GTOS - TOPC

• Permafrost thermal state
• Active layer
• IPY 2007-2009)
• Borehole Campaign TSP - Snapshot
• Circumpolar Active Layer Monitoring (CALM)

The value of observational data increases with
every additional year of measurement www.gtnp.org
9
IGOS-C Parameters

• Permafrost temperature (GTN-P)
• Active layer depth (GTN-P)
• Soil freezing (non permafrost) - temperature
• Freeze-thaw season- duration
• Soil moisture
• Surface elevation (subsidence)
• Slope movement

10
(No Transcript)
11
GTOS/GCOS GTN-P Monitoring Deficiency (2.50 Grid)
UNFCCC
12
TSP Optional Measurements

• 1. Climate station
• 2. Permafrost temperature
• at a minimum of four levels
• 3. Continuous logging (annual)
• 4. Active layer observations (depth,
  temperatures, moisture, settlement)
• 5. Data telemetry

13
Northern Alaska Permafrost Observatories
14
Trends in Permafrost Temperature
Mackenzie Valley, south of Norman Wells
Mackenzie Delta Region
Temperature at 28m depth
0.1C per decade
0.7C per decade
0.3C per decade
From Smith et al. 2005
15
(No Transcript)
16
Circumpolar Active Layer Monitoring
(CALM)Maximum summer thaw www.udel.edu/geography
/UDPG/CALM
CALM - S
17
North American Arctic Transect Activities

• CALM Grids
• Active layer
• Vegetation
• Snow
• Climate /permafrost
• Met station
• Soil temperatures
• Frost heave
• Soils
• Characterization
• Nitrogen mineralization
• Decomposition
• Vegetation
• Classification
• Biomass
• Mapping
• Remote sensing
• NDVI
• Mapping

Dalton Highway (7 locations)
18
)
ACD Products
Circum-Arctic Coastal Key Sites
http/www.awi-potsdam.de/www-pot/geo/acd.html)
Project 90 Arctic Circumpolar Coastal
Observatory Network (ACCO)
19
Cape Bolvansky Coastal Permafrost Observatory
20
(No Transcript)
21
(No Transcript)
22
(No Transcript)
23
Ice-Wedge Degradation in Northern Alaska
Intermediate Degradation
Initial Degradation
Green Tussocks
Dead Tussocks
Advanced Degradation
Initial Stabilization
Photos by Jorgenson
24
(No Transcript)
25
(No Transcript)
26
Collapse-scar Fen, Tanana Flats
Moat
Photo by Jorgenson
27
In the area of wet thermokarst formation, new
and significant sources of CH4 production will be
developing. There will be a considerable
difference in greenhouse production from
degrading permafrost depending on a different
type of substrate and soil carbon quantity and
quality.
28
Greening of the Arctic (GOA)NDVI Normalized
Difference Vegetation Index (NIR-R)/(NIRR)
NIR spectral reflectance in the near-infrared
band (0.725 - 1.1µm) R reflectance in the red,
chlorophyll-absorbing portion of the spectrum
(0.58 to 0.68µm).

• 24-year record of greenness across the entire
  circumpolar Arctic as measured by NDVI) using
  satellite imagery (AVHRR and MODIS).

29
Some Recommendations

• Increase number of GTN-P sites (TSP, AL)
  representative regions and sites
• Establish multi-temporal field monitoring -
  detect changes and rates (degradation
  subsidence)
• Employ multi-temporal and mutli-sensor remote
  sensing (mapping and monitoring change)
• Refine and validate regional and global models
• Rescue, archive and distribute data
• Need for high-resolution DEM of permafrost
  regions
• Prepare products (CAPS 3.0 NSIDC-2009-10), maps

30
Global Geocryological Data System
31
Some more Recommendations Seasonally Frozen
Ground (Soils)Tingjun Zhang, NSIDC

• Increase number of sites to measure soil
  temperature and soil freeze/thaw status.
• Rescue the existing soil temperature worldwide
• Develop partnerships to co-locate seasonally
  frozen ground sites with those monitoring other
  components such as snow and soil moisture
• Develop and validate remote sensing algorithms to
  detect soil freeze/thaw cycles (microwave passive
  and active sensors)
• Develop a comprehensive model to produce blended
  frozen ground products.

32
Conference ThemePermafrost on a Warming Planet
Impacts on Ecosystems, Infrastructure, and Climate
On-line pre-registration www.nicop.org
33
(No Transcript)
34
1997 IPA Map
35
Monitoring Regions
Tianshuihai
QTHW
QKHW