Map of Permafrost Vulnerability in Central Alaska, 2025

To assess the vulnerability of permafrost to climate warming and disturbance, we differentiated permafrost responses in terms of rate of thaw, potential thaw settlement, and thermokarst development. Using a rule-based model that used geomorphic units for spatial extrapolation at the landscape scale, we mapped ten vulnerability classes across three areas in central Alaska ranging from high potential settlement-low thaw rate in extremely ice-rich loess to low potential settlement/high thaw rate in rocky hillslope colluvium. The files contain the ArcMap geospatial database, metadata, and a manuscript detailing methods and results.

为评估永久冻土对气候变暖和干扰的脆弱性，我们从融化速率、潜在融化沉降量及热融喀斯特（thermokarst）发育三个维度区分了永久冻土的响应模式。我们采用基于规则的模型（该模型利用地貌单元（geomorphic units）进行景观尺度的空间外推（spatial extrapolation）），在阿拉斯加中部三个区域绘制了十个脆弱性等级；这些等级的范围从极富冰黄土（loess）中的“高潜在沉降-低融化速率”到岩石山坡崩积物（colluvium）中的“低潜在沉降/高融化速率”。数据集文件包含ArcMap地理空间数据库、元数据以及一份详细说明研究方法与结果的手稿。