North Slope Science Initiative–Permafrost Data

View landscape-level data layers to assess permafrost information for bore holes throughout Alaska's North Slope region. The tool also encourages community-wide participation in the discovery and use of geospatial data.

The Geographic Information Network of Alaska provides this tool to share permafrost data and sites and technical capacity among Alaskan, Arctic, and world communities. It promotes collaboration at the local, state, and federal levels by increasing community-wide participation in the discovery and use of geospatial data.

The North Slope Science Initiative’s WebMap displays landscape-level data layers that include:

Field Photos: Low-altitude oblique and ground photography of over 14,000 site locations throughout the North Slope. The photos were taken by BLM/DU field crews during various land cover mapping projects.
Ecological Landscapes: A consistent description of ecological landscapes throughout northern Alaska. Additional ancillary data are provided as themes within this layer and include biome, ecological landscape, ecoregion, general geology, lithology, NED elevation, physiography, prism MAAT, ecological section, and soil landscapes.
Winter Water Availability: Over 36 ERS-2 SAR images from April 2009 were digitally processed and classified to identify liquid water under ice for lakes throughout the North Slope coastal plain.
Land Cover Classification: Existing Landsat-derived land cover maps were combined with new fieldwork and interpretation to produce a land cover classification for the North Slope.
Permafrost: Includes permafrost information for bore holes throughout the North Slope region. Borehole data includes site vegetation, soils, and photography where available. Permafrost data layers were interpreted from ecological landscape information. These include maximum settlement potential, thermokarst landforms, permafrost extent, massive ice, and segregated ice.
BDL Web Map Service (WMS): Geographic Information Network of Alaska provides a web mapping service of orthoimagery for Alaska.
BDL Web Map Service (WMS) Extras: Geographic Information Network of Alaska provides a web mapping service of various ancillary data layers for the Alaska region, including U.S. and Canadian topographic maps.