Ice wedge polygons detected from aerial imagery of Northern and Western Alaskan communities (2017-2019)

This dataset contains geopackage vector files storing polygons, each representing individual ice wedge polygons detected from high resolution aerial imagery acquired over northern and western Alaskan communities (Atqasuk, Kaktovik, Kotzebue, Nuiqsut, Point Hope, Point Lay, Wainwright). The source imagery is publicly-available for download from the NOAA (National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration) Digital Coast: Data Access Viewer (https://coast.noaa.gov/dataviewer/#/imagery/search/). Imagery spatial resolution ranges from 7.5 cm (centimeters) to 35 cm. Ice wedge polygons are landforms shaped by massive ground ice bodies, known as ice wedges, which upturn overlying soil and form ridges around a relatively lower center. This landform is generally known as a low-centered ice wedge polygon. However, ice wedges shrink as permafrost degrades, resulting in the subsidence of ridges that transform into troughs which are relatively lower than the center. This landform is generally known as a high-centered ice wedge polygon. Accordingly, ice wedge polygons are a manifestation of ground ice on the surface and can serve as a proxy for ground ice content. Our dataset can thus be used for a high-resolution, community-level understanding of (1) ground ice conditions in the immediate vicinity of seven Alaskan communities and (2) the risk posed by permafrost degradation.