Canadian Permafrost Extent And Ground Temperature Profiles

Canada's permafrost extent and ground ice abundance are mapped based on physiographic regions from the 5th Edition National Atlas. The dataset includes point data for permafrost temperature and thickness at specific sites, plus maps of mean annual ground temperatures. It was compiled by Heginbottom, Dubreuil, and Harker and published by Natural Resources Canada in 1995.

Use Cases

• Model permafrost extent and ground ice abundance across Canadian physiographic regions using the primary map data.
• Analyze site-specific permafrost temperature and thickness from the provided point data.
• Study shallow temperature profiles down to 25 meters depth from the included graphs.
• Examine deep temperature profiles extending several hundred meters depth from the graphical data.
• Map mean annual ground temperatures across Canada using the secondary, smaller map.

Strengths

• Includes both shallow (to 25m) and deep (to several hundred meters) temperature profiles.
• Covers the entire geographic extent of Canada.
• Published as part of the authoritative 5th Edition National Atlas of Canada.

Limitations

• Data is historical, with a publication date of 1995 and collection period from 1978-1995.
• Specific row counts, column names, and sample sizes are unknown.
• Primary file formats are cartographic (SHP, PDF, JPG) rather than raw tabular data.

Provenance

Source

Natural Resources Canada, Geomatics Canada.

Collection Method

Compiled for the National Atlas of Canada, 5th Edition; mapping units based on physiographic regions.

Time Range

1978 to 1995

Geography

Canada