What percentage of the surface area of Alaska has permafrost under it?

Hello ridgeseeker,

According to numerous sources I found :

85% of Alaska has permafrost beneath it. Additionally, about one
quarter of the world's exposed land has permafrost beneath it. Here
are some sources to confirm our findings:

UAF NewsRoom by Vicki Daniels
"..the perennial frozen ground that underlies about 85 percent of
Alaska.."
http://www.uaf.edu/news/story_perma.html

Thawing Permafrost threatens Alaska by Ned Rozell
"Permafrost occurs under about 85 percent of Alaska's surface area"
http://www.gi.alaska.edu/ScienceForum/ASF13/1321.html


I was also able to locate a great article on Permafrost. It contains
cross section images, permafrost coverage maps, and pictures of damage
as the result of melting permafrost. You can view the site here:

Permafrost by Solocomhouse
http://www.solcomhouse.com/Permafrost.htm

I hope this concise answer is what you were looking for. Should you
desire further clarification, please ask before rating this answer as
I would love to offer more assistance.

To find this answer, I searched Google for:
alaska "permafrost" percent
://www.google.com/search?q=alaska+%22permafrost%22+percent

Thanks for the great question!
SgtCory

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Request for Answer Clarification by ridgeseekerak-ga on 01 Nov 2002 16:18 PST

Well, that percentage is higher that I figured, but those sources seem
impeccable.  I thought that if you subtracted Southeast Alaska, which
is rainforest, and the Aleutian Islands, a great deal of Southcentral,
the major lakes and rivers, and the glaciated areas, it would be less
that 80%.
From some of the reading, however, it seems that glacies and icefields
may count as frozen soil, even though there is no soil involved.
Would it be possible to find a list of percentages for different
surfaces in Alaska, ie; forest, tundra, glacier, rock, waterways,
etc.?
If that is so far outside the original question as to be a separate
issue, thanks anyway.  I will continue to search and wonder.
Thanks for your interest.

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Clarification of Answer by sgtcory-ga on 01 Nov 2002 16:31 PST

Hello ridgeseeker,

This is definitely not outside the scope of the question. Give me
about 10-15 minutes to see what else I can find to help us offer
further clarification.

Be right back :-)

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Clarification of Answer by sgtcory-ga on 01 Nov 2002 16:50 PST

Ok - here is what I have found:

The scientific definition of Permafrost is what makes the difference:

"Permafrost is soil, unconsolidated deposits, or bedrock that has been
continuously at a temperature of 32 degrees Fahrenheit or less for two
or more years. The term is synonymous with "perennially frozen ground"
but is defined solely on the basis of temperature; locally, permafrost
might contain very little water or ice, or might contain highly
mineralized water that remains liquid at temperatures less than 32
degrees Fahrenheit. Most permafrost, however, is consolidated by ice."
http://capp.water.usgs.gov/gwa/ch_n/N-AKtext1.html

If you take note of the image that is on that page:
http://capp.water.usgs.gov/gwa/ch_n/gif/N005.gif

We can see that the Permafrost has been broken down into 'regions'.
The blue portion is in a constant state of Permafrost as whole. Here
is what the article says about the discontinuous region:

"The wide zone of discontinuous permafrost shown in figure 5 contains
isolated or interconnected unfrozen zones within the permafrost. In
this zone, the thickness and lateral continuity of the permafrost
decrease southward until only scattered, isolated areas of frozen
ground are found near he southern limit of the zone."

I think that clears up quite a bit of what you needed. I am glad you
asked too, because some of the answers we provide are a learning
process for us as well. We just know how to find them faster and
easier :-) If you still need more clarification, that's why I'm here.

Thanks for the great question!
SgtCory

What a great resource!  I really appreciate the depth of the answer,
and the excellent links.  Nice work.

That looks like a good answer to me. I just wish I had gotten to it
first, since I live in Alaska and actually attend the university that
the information was retrieved from (uaf).

funkywizard,

I have relatives in Alaska! Small world indeed.

SgtCory