Permafrost active layer thaw depth transects: Anaktuvuk Pass and Selawik, Alaska

Data for 12 transects (50 – 400 m) sampled at 1 m intervals in and around the Inupiaq villages of Anaktuvuk Pass and Selawik, Alaska. Data include active layer thaw depth, water depth, vegetation, ground surface features, and anthropogenic disturbances. Thaw depth data were collected and analyzed in conjunction with local knowledge as part of an interdisciplinary study of the implications of thawing permafrost and climate change for the social-ecological systems of two communities whose ways of life rely on close interactions with their local environments. Anaktuvuk Pass is built on a thaw-stable substrate, while Selawik rests on fine-textured, ice rich soils vulnerable to subsidence when permafrost thaws.