Articles | Volume 10, issue 6
https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-10-2673-2016
https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-10-2673-2016
Research article
 | 
15 Nov 2016
Research article |  | 15 Nov 2016

Presence of rapidly degrading permafrost plateaus in south-central Alaska

Benjamin M. Jones, Carson A. Baughman, Vladimir E. Romanovsky, Andrew D. Parsekian, Esther L. Babcock, Eva Stephani, Miriam C. Jones, Guido Grosse, and Edward E. Berg

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Cited articles

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Short summary
We combined field data collection with remote sensing data to document the presence and rapid degradation of permafrost in south-central Alaska during 1950–present. Ground temperature measurements confirmed permafrost presence in the region, but remotely sensed images showed that permafrost plateau extent decreased by 60 % since 1950. Better understanding these vulnerable permafrost deposits is important for predicting future permafrost extent across all permafrost regions that are warming.