Annual mean ground temperatures (T-g) decline northward from approximately -3.0 degrees C in the boreal forest to -7.0 degrees C in dwarf-shrub tundra in the Tuktoyuktuk Coastlands and Anderson Plain, NWT, Canada. The latitudinal decrease in T-g from forest to tundra is accompanied by an increase in the range of values measured in the central, tall-shrub tundra zone. Field measurements from 124 sites across this ecotone indicate that in undisturbed terrain Tg may approach 0 degrees C in the forest and -4 degrees C in dwarf-shrub tundra. The greatest range of local variation in T-g (similar to 7 degrees C) was observed in the tall-shrub transition zone. Undisturbed terrain units with relatively high T-g include riparian areas and slopes with drifting snow, saturated soils in polygonal peatlands and areas near lakes. Across the region, the warmest permafrost is associated with disturbances such as thaw slumps, drained lakes, areas burned by wildfires, drilling-mud sumps and roadsides. Soil saturation following terrain subsidence may increase the latent heat content of the active layer, while increases in snow depth decrease the rate of ground heat loss in autumn and winter. Such disturbances increase freezeback duration and reduce the period of conductive ground cooling, resulting in higher Tg and, in some cases, permafrost thaw. The field measurements reported here confirm that minimum T-g values in the uppermost 10 m of permafrost have increased by similar to 2 degrees C since the 1970s. The widespread occurrence of T-g above -3 degrees C indicates warm permafrost exists in disturbed and undisturbed settings across the transition from forest to tundra. Copyright (c) 2017 Government of the Northwest Territories. Permafrost and Periglacial Processes (c) 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

In the Low Arctic, a warming climate is increasing rates of permafrost degradation and altering vegetation. Disturbance associated with warming permafrost can change microclimate and expose areas of ion-rich mineral substrate for colonization by plants. Consequently, the response of vegetation to warming air temperatures may differ significantly from disturbed to undisturbed tundra. Across a latitudinal air temperature gradient, we tested the hypothesis that the microenvironment in thaw slumps would be warmer and more nutrient rich than undisturbed tundra, resulting in altered plant community composition and increased green alder (Alnus viridis subsp. fruticosa) growth and reproduction. Our results show increased nutrient availability, soil pH, snow pack, ground temperatures, and active layer thickness in disturbed terrain and suggest that these variables are important drivers of plant community structure. We also found increased productivity, catkin production, and seed viability of green alder at disturbed sites. Altered community composition and enhancement of alder growth and reproduction show that disturbances exert a strong influence on deciduous shrubs that make slumps potential seed sources for undisturbed tundra. Overall, these results indicate that accelerated disturbance regimes have the potential to magnify the effects of warming temperature on vegetation. Consequently, understanding the relative effects of temperature and disturbance on Arctic plant communities is critical to predicting feedbacks between northern ecosystems and global climate change.

The Mackenzie Delta, prograding northwestwards into the Beaufort Sea, is North America's largest arctic delta. This Holocene feature is bounded by rolling uplands to the east and the Richardson Mountains to the west. Treeline traverses the region, separating the subarctic boreal forest in southern parts from low-shrub tundra and sedge wetlands at the coast. The region is experiencing rapid climate change, and mean annual air temperature has increased by more than 2.5 degrees C since 1970. The area was at the margin of the Wisconsinan ice sheet, so that in the uplands the mean annual ground temperature and glacial history control permafrost thickness, which varies from > 700 m to < 100 m. Ground temperatures in the delta are distinct from the uplands due to the thermal influence of numerous lakes and shifting channels. In the uplands, ground temperatures decrease northwards across treeline in association with a decrease in the thickness of snow cover. Ground temperatures have increased since 1970 in the uplands by approximately 1.5 degrees C in association with rising annual mean air temperature. The increase has been less in the delta south of treeline due to the extensive thermal influence of water bodies on ground temperature. However, in the outer delta, the ground is currently more than 2.5 degrees C warmer than in 1970. The impact of climate change on permafrost is also evident in the thickness of the active layer, which increased on average by 8 cm at 12 tundra sites on northern Richards Island from 1983-2008. Copyright (C) 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. and Her Majesty the Queen in right of Canada.