CGRG Bibliography of Canadian Geomorphology
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Author : Brown, R.J.E.
Date : 1983
Title : Effects of fire on the permafrost ground thermal regime.
Publication : Conference on the Role of Fire in Northern Circumpolar Ecosystems. Edited by: R.W. Weir and D.A. Mackeen. John Wiley and Sons: New York
Issue :
Page(s) : 97-110
Abstract
Discontinuous permafrodt occurs widely in the boreal forest, while throughout the tundra region permafrost is continuous and may be hundreds of meters deep. Until recent years investigations have been conducted on the effects of fire on the perennially frozen ground in these northern polar ecosystems. Little modification takes place during the actual burning, but the partial or complete destruction of the organic cover produces changes in permafrost lasting many years. There are three major effects of fire on permafrost which are related to the amounts of vegetation and organic soil that are removed: the deepening of the active layer with resultant thermokarst and instability of newly thawed soil or slopes; an increases in soil temperatures; and changes in the ground surface energy exchange regimes. These post-fire conditions prevail for many years as natural restoration of burned sites gradually takes place. Long-term observational programs, which are lacking at present, are required to assess more fully the effects of fire on permafrost.
Bibliography of Canadian Geomorphology