Information on the nature and distribution of permafrost is critical to assessing the response of Arctic ecosystems to climate change, because thawing permafrost under a warming climate will cause thaw settlement and affect micro-topography, surface water redistribution and groundwater movement, soil carbon balance, trace gas emissions, vegetation changes, and habitat use. While a small-scale regional permafrost map is available, as well as information from numerous site-specific large-scale mapping projects, landscape-level mapping of permafrost characteristics is needed for regional modeling and climate impact assessments. The project addresses this need by: (1) compiling existing soil/permafrost data from available sources to create a region-wide permafrost database; (2) providing detailed descriptions of permafrost characteristics by terrain units; (3) developing permafrost maps through revision and attribution of an existing landscape-level map; (4) developing a prototype larger scale terrain unit map for a small area to evaluate methods and costs; (5) developing rule-based maps of permafrost vulnerability, and (6) distributing the database and maps through the Geographic Information Network for Alaska (GINA) website.
