Conductive Heat Flux Through Active Layer in Tundra Plain

A method was developed to estimate conductive heat flux through active layer and thawing rate of ice in permafrost from ground temperature, and it was applied to the field data obtained in July 1983 at the Arara To in St. Lawrence Island, Bering Sea. The estimated heat flux and thawing rate show diurnal fluctuation in response to solar radiation and air temperature, but their daily amounts are maintained at constant rates during the observation period due to presence of a large downward temperature gradient created by annual variations in the solar radiation and air temperature. 1