Icelandic Frozen Ground Dynamics: Active Layer and Climate Factors

Nine years of field measurements from 1983 to 1991 document the seasonal and annual dynamics of frozen ground in Iceland's central highlands. Data include mean active layer depth with standard error, recorded three times per growing season at 51 permanent points across different plant communities and on 12 palsas. The dataset also contains monthly environmental variables such as degree days above zero, precipitation, snow depth, and frost degree days.

Use Cases

• Modeling active layer thickness based on monthly degree days and precipitation.
• Analyzing seasonal dynamics of frozen ground from triannual field measurements.
• Correlating snow depth and frost degree days with the presence/absence of frozen ground.
• Studying interannual variability in permafrost conditions over a nine-year period.

Strengths

• Covers a nine-year longitudinal study from 1983 to 1991.
• Includes standard error for mean active layer depth measurements, indicating data quality assessment.
• Measurements were taken at a consistent set of 51 permanent points and 12 palsas.

Limitations

• Sample size varied annually (e.g., 33 stations in 1983, 63 in 1985-1991), which may affect time-series consistency.
• Conflicting metadata: last_updated dates differ significantly between platforms (1991 vs. 2026).
• Column names and exact data structure are not provided, limiting immediate usability.

Provenance

Source

National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). Data originally presented on the CAPS Version 1.0 CD-ROM, June 1998.

Collection Method

Field measurements recorded three times per growing season at permanent stations.

Time Range

1983 to 1991

Freshness

The underlying data collection ended in 1991, though metadata was updated on one platform in 2026.

Geography

Central highland of Iceland