Winter ground surface temperature regimes in the zone of sporadic discontinuous permafrost, Tatra Mountains (Poland and Slovakia)

Abstract

Abstract Ground surface temperatures in the zone of sporadic discontinuous permafrost in the Tatra Mountains were monitored over two winters at sites where either permafrost or deep seasonal frost had been previously posited. The results show that contemporary permafrost can exist beneath both thick and thin snow covers. We infer that its presence may relate more to local circulation of cold air over the surface and low summer solar irradiation than to elevation and snowpack development. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.