| Title | Characterization of permafrost thermal state in the southern Yukon |
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| Author | Smith, S L ;
Lewkowicz, A G; Ednie, M; Duguay, M; Bevington, A |
| Source | Proceedings of GEOQuebec 2015 Geotechnical Conference and 7th Canadian Permafrost Conference; 2015, 7 pages |
| Image |  |
| Year | 2015 |
| Alt Series | Earth Sciences Sector, Contribution Series 20150073 |
| Publisher | Canadian Geotechnical Society |
| Meeting | GEOQuebec 2015 Geotechnical Conference and 7th Canadian Permafrost Conference |
| Document | book |
| Lang. | English |
| Media | paper; on-line; digital |
| File format | pdf |
| Province | Yukon |
| NTS | 104I; 104J; 104K; 104L; 104M; 104N; 104O; 104P; 105; 106A; 106B; 106C; 106D; 106E; 106F; 106G; 106H; 114I; 114J; 114O; 114P; 115A; 115B; 115C; 115F; 115G; 115H; 115I; 115J; 115K; 115N; 115O; 115P; 116A;
116B; 116C; 116F; 116G; 116H |
| Area | Alaskan Highway Corridor |
| Lat/Long WENS | -142.0000 -128.0000 66.0000 58.0000 |
| Subjects | environmental geology; Nature and Environment; permafrost; freezing ground; ground ice; ground temperatures; groundwater; temperature |
| Illustrations | location maps; graphs |
| Program | Climate
Change Geoscience Risk Analysis |
| Released | 2015 01 01 |
| Abstract | Boreholes in the northwestern portion of the Alaska Highway Corridor, Yukon were instrumented for temperature measurement between 2011 and 2013. The data acquired has enabled characterization of the
ground thermal regime in this section of the corridor. Permafrost is generally warm with temperatures generally above -1.5°C. However, colder permafrost at temperatures as low as -3°C was found in the immediate vicinity of the Alaska border.
Comparison of recent ground temperatures with those measured in boreholes by the Geological Survey of Canada in the late 1970s indicates that some warming of permafrost has occurred. These instrumented boreholes complement those established elsewhere
in the southern and central Yukon and facilitate an improved understanding of the regional thermal state of permafrost. |
| Summary | (Plain Language Summary, not published)
Instrumented field sites established 2011-13 along the Alaska Highway corridor between Whitehorse and the Alaska border, provide new information on
current permafrost conditions. This information is required for terrain sensitivity assessments and planning northern development (eg. pipeline, highway) to ensure infrastructure and environmental integrity. Results indicated that permafrost in this
section of the corridor is generally warm (temperatures above -1.5°C but is as cold as -3°C near the Alaska border. Comparison with ground temperatures measured in the late 1970s indicates that permafrost temperatures may have increased over the last
30 years. |
| GEOSCAN ID | 296537 |
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