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Permafrost, Ground Ice, and
Soils Databases: USA summary
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Brief overview of US databases involving
permafrost, soils, and ground ice
Includes soil climate
Several organizations are international
programs
National Snow and Ice Data Center
(NSIDC) http://nsidc.org/
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Primary archive of NSF, NASA, NOAA, and others
Frozen Ground Data
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Active layer
Cryosols
Ground ice
Periglacial processes
Permafrost
Rock Glaciers
Seasonally frozen ground
Soil Temperature
Dry Valley Drilling Project (DVDP)
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Joint effort with Japan,
New Zealand, USA
Reconnaissance during
IGY 1959
Drilled post-IGY 15 cores,
2 km total
Goal was to study past 10
Ma history
Geology, Geochemistry,
Biology
Long Term Ecological Research
(LTER) Network
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Established 1980, 26 sites
McMurdo Dry Valleys
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Microbial ecosystem,
ephemeral streams, closed
basin lakes
Data on: meteorology,
streams, lakes, glaciers, soils
Palmer
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Ecosystem focus
VALMAP (Valleys in Antarctica:
Layered Mapping, Analysis, and
Planning VALMAP)
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Aerial Photography
Bedrock Geology
Firn, Glaciers
Lakes
Ground-Penetrating Radar
Soils
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Bockheim Pits
Campbell Pits
Satellite Imagery
Ground Ice (extensive survey)
Streams
Topography
Server is currently inactive but
should reopen on USGS web
server 2004-5
University of Wisconsin Antarctic
Soils Database
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Bockheim , students, & colleagues from 1975 to
1987, 481 soils
Archived with National Snow and Ice Data
Center (NSIDC)
(http://nsidc.org/data/docs/fgdc/ggd221_soiltemp_antarctica/index.html)
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Compliments database of Ian Campbell from
New Zealand
Included in VALMAP and other soil maps
Global Terrestrial Network for
Permafrost (GTN-P)
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Initiated by the International Permafrost Association (IPA)
Organize and manage a global network of permafrost observatories
for detecting, monitoring, and predicting climate change
Authorized under the Global Climate Observing System (GCOS)
Permafrost and Climate in Europe (PACE) contributions
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Two components
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1)
2)
Circumpolar Active Layer Monitoring (CALM) network which was
established in 1990 active layer (the surface layer that freezes and
thaws annually)
Monitor the thermal state of the underlying permafrost primarily using
deep boreholes
Antarctic Candidate Boreholes GTN-P
Borehole
#
Name
A1
Antarctic
A2
Antarctic
A3
Depth
(m)
Class
Investigator(s)
masl
pf-depth
(m)
DB
Gary Clow
20
>282
19
SH
Ron Sletten/David
Gilichinsky
1273
Simpson Crags
8
SU
Mauro Guglielmin
A6
A4
Boulder Clay
3.6
SU
Mauro Guglielmin
A7
A5
M. Keinath
1
SU
Mauro Guglielmin
A13
A6
Incinerator Point
2.4
SU
M. Ramos
30
A7
Mount Reina
Sofía
1.2
SU
M. Ramos
274
A8
Marble Point
1.2
SU
Campbell/ Paetzold
60
A3
A9
Bull Pass
1.2
SU
Campbell/ Paetzold
150
A2
A10
Scott Base
1.2
SU
Campbell/ Paetzold
80
A1
>282
CAL
M
A4A
(Borehole class: SU (surface <10m); SH (shallow 10-25m); IB (intermediate 25-125m); DB (deep geothermal >125); * CALM sites)
NRCS (Natural Resources Conservation
Service)
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Joint program with
Landcare, New Zealand
Under auspices of Global
Climate Change Program,
part of GTN-P
Soils characterization (SCS
standardized protocol)
Monitor meteorology, soil
temperature & moisture,
Active Layer thickness
First site 1998, 7+ sites
Other resources
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Satellite &
Remote
sensing
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SAR
Microwave
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Ground
ice
Thermal
GPS
monitoring
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(UNAVCO)
Monitor soil
movement