Journal Entry
Diminutive SpruceDiminutive Spruce

Permafrost and Tree Stature

At lower elevation in the north, below the tree line, the spruce trees are shorter. The cold and resulting shallower soil depth does not allow the trees to grow as tall. In land with even less elevation, water collects, and the trees have trouble standing up, as their roots cannot gain traction in the sloppy soil. These trees appear drunk, as they lilt sideways.

Spruce VIstaSpruce VIsta

Jade City

North to the B.C./Yukon border, Jade is mined and carved into trinkets, jewelry and scupltures. All the work is done locally and sold only in this one house town.

Jade CityJade City Princess Jade MinePrincess Jade Mine

Boya Lake

An aquamarine camping experience. We arrived early and lucked into a lake side campsite. Birds, beauty and quiet.

Aquamarine Boya LakeAquamarine Boya Lake Boya at SunriseBoya at Sunrise

Comments

Sun, 07/10/2016 - 15:24

Sara Vianco

When I first read the title, I thought that the shrinking trees was some kind of side effect of global warming, but I'm glad that it's not!

Mon, 07/11/2016 - 10:54

Vilheim (Willi…

to find a problem more resulting from the cold rather than global warming.

Thu, 07/14/2016 - 12:50

Marguerite Mauritz

Being able to guess where there's a patch of permafrost is a really cool phenomenon of discontinuous permafrost regions. The location of permafrost, in discontinuous permafrost regions, is a very dynamic process. Permafrost affects the type of vegetation and vegetation can have a very strong effect on permafrost stability. We'll see this patchwork of tundra on permafrost and forest on non-permafrost at CiPEHR. The patchy permafrost and vegetation link is also important for changes in the boreal tree line. Mike Loranry and Steve Stonicky's polar trec expedition is investigating permafrost-vegetation links. Check them out!