Relationship of Permafrost Cryofacies to Varying Surface and Subsurface Terrain Conditions in the Brooks Range and foothills of Northern Alaska, USA

Permafrost landscape responses to climate change and disturbance impact local ecology and global greenhouse gas concentrations, but the nature and magnitude of response is linked with vegetation, terrain and permafrost properties that vary markedly across landscapes. As a subsurface property, permafrost conditions are difficult to characterize across landscapes, and modeled estimates rely upon relationships among permafrost characteristics and surface properties. While a general relationship among landscape and permafrost properties has been recognized throughout the Arctic, the nature of these relationships is poorly documented in many regions, limiting modeling capability. We examined relationships among terrain, vegetation and permafrost within the Brooks Range and foothills of northern Alaska using field data from diverse sites and multiple factor analysis ordination. Terrain, vegetation and permafrost conditions were correlated throughout the region, with field sites falling into four statistically-separable groups based on ordination results. Our results identify index variables for honing field sampling and statistical analysis, illustrate the nature of relationships in the region, support future modeling of permafrost properties, and suggest a state factor approach for organizing data and ideas relevant for modeling of permafrost properties at a regional scale.