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Lake Hovsgol is located on the southern fringe of the continuous permafrost zone in northern Mongolia. This paper describes a GIS-based empirical permafrost model that is calibrated with ground temperature observations, and utilises a multi-criteria approach to derive zones of permafrost favourability based on terrain parameters and land cover information. The scores are derived either by logistic regression or from satellite image information. The model is validated by DC resistivity tomography measurements. The overall permafrost distribution in the study area is well-described and the method appears to be a valid approach for mapping permafrost at both local and regional scales in mountain areas with low data coverage. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Near-surface temperature variations in different topographic settings were obtained from miniature temperature data-loggers at 17 locations over a 2-year period in the Lake Hovsgol area in northern Mongolia. These measurements were used to analyse the influence of vegetation, solar radiation, surface wetness and snow cover on the ground thermal regime. An empirical modelling approach was applied in order to estimate the spatial distribution of ground surface temperatures, the presence of permafrost and the depth of the active layer. Our study shows that spatial interpolation of ground surface temperature parameters, mainly known from previous research in the Arctic, can be feasible in the arid mountain environments of Central Asia. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Earlier studies suggest that the altitudinal permafrost limit decreases from the west to the east in Southern Norway and that the lowermost altitudinal permafrost limit in Southern Scandinavia occurs in the eastern part of Southern Norway. Most investigations on mountain permafrost have been undertaken in Jotunheimen and Dovrefjell further west, and in order to validate this regional pattern, the distribution of permafrost has been mapped on the mountains Solen and Elgahogna in the Femunden region, Central-Eastern Norway. Empirical-statistical models based on BTS and logistic regression were developed for each mountain, and validated with DC resistivity measurements. Permafrost was found to be probable down to 1100–1300 m a.s.l., which validates the regional west–east gradient in the altitudinal permafrost limit. Elevation is the main controlling factor for permafrost distribution on both Solen and Elgahogna. In addition, potential solar radiation and the surface wetness pattern were significant in the So...

[1] The Hovsgol mountain region (49°–52°N, 98°–102°E) of northern Mongolia contains widespread mountain permafrost and comprises the southern fringe of the Siberian continuous permafrost zone. In this paper, we report our initial monitoring of permafrost by means of measuring ground temperatures and active layer thickness in boreholes and some cryogenic processes under the influence of climate warming and human activities in the region. The average rate of increase in mean annual permafrost temperatures is from 0.2°C to 0.4°C per decade. Permafrost has been degrading more intensively during the last 15 years (since 1990s) than during the previous 15–20 years (1970s and 1980s). Recent degradation of permafrost under climate warming in the Hovsgol mountain region is generally more intensive than in the Hentei and Hangai Mountain regions. Moreover, livestock grazing in some local areas accelerates degradation of permafrost due to loss of vegetation cover. Year-round temperature recordings by data loggers placed beneath different vegetation covers showed marked differences in active layer thickness and ground temperature.