Geoscience Reference
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Table 12.2 Recent trends in permafrost temperature
Permafrost
temperature
change a (°C)
Region
Depth (m)
Period of record
United States
Trans-Alaska pipeline route
20
1983-2000
+0.6 to +1.5
Barrow Permafrost Observatory
15
1950-2001
+1
Russia
East Siberia
1.6-3.2
1960-1992
+0.03/year
Northwest Siberia
10
1980-1990
+0.3 to +0.7
European north of Russia,
continuous permafrost zone
6
1973-1992
+1.6 to +2.8
European north of Russia,
discontinuous permafrost zone
6
1970-1995
Up to +1.2
Canada
Alert, Nunavut
15-30
1995-2000
+0.15/year
Northern Mackenzie Basin,
Northwest Territories
28
1990-2000
+0.1/year
Central Mackenzie Basin.
Northwest Territories
15
1985-2000
+0.03/year
Northern Quebec
10
Late 1980s-mid-1990s
−0.1/year
Norway
Juwasshoe, southern Norway
~5
Past 60-80 years
+0.5 to +1.0
Svalbard
Janssonhaugen
~5
Past 60-80 years
+1 to +2
Romanovsky et al. (2002); in ACIA ( 2013 )
a Temperature change over period of record, unless otherwise noted
In Antarctica warming will increase the ice-free areas along the western
Antarctic Peninsula (WAP) and in coastal East Antarctica (Table 12.3 ). Increases
in vascular plant cover have already been reported, especially along the WAP
(Hill et al. 2011 ). Exotic species have already been introduced to Antarctica
(Wodkiewicz et al. 2013 ) and can be expected to replace native species. The
increase in plant cover will result in an increase in soil organic C and N (Bokhorst
et al. 2007 ). Thawing of permafrost has resulted in active-layer detachment slides
and thermokarst in the South Shetland Islands (Vieira et al. 2008 ; Bockheim
 
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