Terrain determinants of permafrost active layer thermal conditions: a case study from Arctic deglaciated catchment (Bratteggdalen, SW Spitsbergen)

The article concerns the thermal state of permafrost active layer in unglaciated areas of high latitudes (Brattegg valley, SW Spitsbergen). The basic material are data from a network of thermistors located in adrainage basin, including its highest elevations. Measured data were used to search for terrain determinants of ground thermics, expressed by common land surface parameters derived from 20×20m DTM and surface area temperature obtained from the LANDSAT 8 scene processing. Correlation and regression analysis was used to build models of spatial distribution of ground temperature at different depths. The obtained results show, among others, that temperatures near the ground surface (from 0 to –5 cm) are not significantly correlated with any of the tested topographic parameters, and thus depend on the local features of the ground. An expression of this is the strong dependence of temperature in near subsurface (up to depth 20 cm) on surface temperatures estimated from satellite data. From 10 cm below the surface and deeper, there is a significant negative correlation of temperature with elevation: initially stronger with altitude, and at 100 and 150 cm depth – with relative height.