| Abstract | Increasing exploration of petroleum and mineral resources during the past few years in the Canadian Arctic Archipelago has focused unprecedented public attention on this virtually undeveloped and uninhabited region. This group of islands, one of the world's largest, is situated in a region of severe arctic climate and lies entirely within the continuous permafrost zone. The active layer is generally 1 m (3 ft) or less, permafrost exceeds 300 m (1000ft) in thickness, and ground temperatures at the depth of zero annual amplitude are below about -7 degrees C (20 degrees F). Permafrost will cause many problems in oil and mining activities, and information on its nature and distribution will be required to solve these difficulties. Scattered observations on various aspects of permafrost have been made over the years and documented in the scientific and technical literature, but systematic long term programmes remain to be undertaken. This paper is an inventory of much of the presently known information about permafrost in the Archipelago. Climatic and terrain factors including air temperature, solar radiation, relief, vegetation, hydrology, snow cover, type of soil and rock, and glaciation, and their influence on the nature and distribution of permafrost are discussed. |
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