ABoVE: Permafrost Measurements and Distribution Across the Y-K Delta, Alaska, 2016

This dataset provides field observations of thaw depth and dominant vegetation types, a LiDAR-derived elevation map, and permafrost distribution and probability maps for an area on the coastal plain of the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta (YKD), in western Alaska, USA. Field data were collected during July 8-17, 2016 to parameterize and to validate the derived permafrost maps. The YKD is in the sporadic to isolated permafrost zone where permafrost forms extensive elevated plateaus on abandoned floodplains. The region is extremely flat and vulnerable to eustatic sea-level rise and inland storm surges. These high-resolution permafrost maps support landscape change analyses and assessments of the impacts of climate change on permafrost in this region of high biological productivity, critical wildlife habitats, and subsistence-based human economy.