Effects of Permafrost on Stream Channel Behavior in Arctic Alaska: Usgs Professional Paper 1068 (Paperback) (ISBN-13: 9781288999071)

Sites with drainage areas ranging from 88 to 12,200 sq km were monitored on five streams in northern Alaska during the breakup in 1976 to determine (1) the effects of frozen bed and bank material on channel behavior, and (2) the importance of the annual breakup flood in forming the channels of arctic streams. The thawing and concomitant erosion of channels varied with changes in bed-material size, channel pattern, drainage area, and climate. The response of channels to breakup flooding ranged from total permafrost control of channel processes, including both bed scour and lateral erosion, to only brief restriction of channel behavior early in the rise of the flooding. The watershed characteristic that appears to explain much of this variation is size of drainage area.

Author: Kevin M. Scott, Child Welfare Information Gateway
ISBN-10: 1288999070
ISBN-13: 9781288999071
Publisher: Bibliogov
Language: English
Published: 03/01/2013
Pages: 28
Format: Paperback
Weight: 0.15lbs
Size: 9.69h x 7.44w x 0.06d