Decadal Results from the Circumpolar Active Layer Monitoring (CALM) Program

Frederick E. Nelson and Nikolay I. Shiklomanov
Department of Geography, University of Delaware, Newark, DE 19716, USA
Kenneth M. Hinkel
Department of Geography, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, OH 48221, USA
Jerry Brown
International Permafrost Association, P.O. Box 7, Woods Hole, MA, 02543, USA

Abstract

The Circumpolar Active Layer Monitoring (CALM) program was established in the early 1990s to observe temporal and spatial variability of active layer thickness, active layer dynamics, near-surface permafrost parameters, and the response of these factors to changes and variations in climatic conditions. The CALM network involves 15 participating countries and is comprised of 168 sites distributed throughout the Arctic, parts of Antarctica, and several mountain ranges of the mid-latitudes. Groups of sites are used to create regional maps of active layer thickness. Data obtained from the network are used to validate permafrost, hydrological, ecological, and climatic models at a variety of geographic scales. Several sites have records of frost heave and thaw subsidence that are contributing to a reconceptualization of the role of the active layer in global-change studies.

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