Permafrost thermal state in the polar Northern Hemisphere during the international polar year 2007–2009: a synthesis

Abstract The permafrost monitoring network in the polar regions of the Northern Hemisphere was enhanced during the International Polar Year (IPY), and new information on permafrost thermal state was collected for regions where there was little available. This augmented monitoring network is an important legacy of the IPY, as is the updated baseline of current permafrost conditions against which future changes may be measured. Within the Northern Hemisphere polar region, ground temperatures are currently being measured in about 575 boreholes in North America, the Nordic region and Russia. These show that in the discontinuous permafrost zone, permafrost temperatures fall within a narrow range, with the mean…

• NS
  National Science Foundation

  Awards: 0632400, 0520578, 0612533, 0856864
• UD
  U.S. Department of the Interior
• UO
  University of Ottawa
• GO
  Government of Canada
• CF
  Canadian Foundation for Climate and Atmospheric Sciences
• RF
  Russian Foundation for Basic Research
• NF
  Norges Forskningsråd

  Awards: 176033/S30, 176033
• UG
  U.S. Geological Survey
• NS
  Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada
• NR
  Natural Resources Canada