https://www.sochid.cl/download/Revista%20Sochid/REVISTA-SOCHID-Volumen-37-Numero-1-2022.pdf

Zegers, G. Hayashi, M. (2022) Permafrost extent in mountain environments. Revista de la Sociedad Chilena de Ingenieria Hidraulica, 37, 37-54.

Permafrost is a critical cryosphere component through its influence on energy exchanges, hydrological processes, and natural hazards. Thus, understanding and characterizing permafrost thaw is an essential component of understanding the potential influences of climate change. In mountain environments, permafrost occurrence is affected by the complex mountain topography and surficial geology and is exposed to significant spatial heterogeneity. Coarser sediments enhance natural convection processes that decrease the ground temperatures; thus, they generate a special thermal regime that can sustain permafrost even under positive mean annual air temperatures. In this work, we installed self-logging temperature sensors at small alpine catchments to (i) examine the main variables that control permafrost heterogeneity at a local scale and (ii) to find the permafrost distribution at each study site. These local measurements will be distributed using topoclimatic factors (such as altitude, slope, aspect, mean air temperature, or solar radiation) and sediment-size estimations. This approach can be extended to larger areas in the Canadian Rockies to assess permafrost extents and evaluate the potential impacts of mountain permafrost thaw in a warmer future

https://www.sochid.cl/download/Revista%20Sochid/REVISTA-SOCHID-Volumen-37-Numero-1-2022.pdf