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.