Effect of frost on soils
Introduction
permafrost[1] pergelisol or gelisol,[2] is the layer of permanently frozen soil in periglacial regions, such as tundra. It can be found in circumpolar areas of Canada, Alaska, Greenland, Siberia, Tibet, Norway and on several islands in the South Atlantic Ocean such as South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands.
According to the International Permafrost Association (IPA), permafrost is defined as soil, rock or sediment that remains at a temperature below 0°C for at least two consecutive years. This definition does not limit the presence of permafrost to areas without ice or snow cover,[3].
Permafrost can also be found under layers of permanent ice or snow, such as in certain regions of Antarctica. (Harada, K., et al. (2000). Permafrost beneath Antarctic ice sheets.) (Christoffersen, P., et al. (2006). Basal conditions beneath Antarctic ice streams.).
Over hundreds of thousands of years, the permafrost of the Arctic Ocean[4] has accumulated large reserves of organic carbon (an estimated 1.4 to 1.85 trillion metric tons). Forecasts predict a decline in perennially frozen areas due to increased global warming.[5][6] When permafrost thaws, carbon dioxide and methane are released.[7].
Etymology
The etymology of permafrost comes from the English perma-, from permanent, 'permanent', and frost, 'frost', 'frozen'.[8] The word was coined in 1943 by S. W. Muller.
Although this word is used literally in Spanish, there are equivalents to replace it, such as pergelisuelo or pergelisol.
The etymology of pergelisol, proposed by the American geologist Kirk Bryan in 1946,[9] comes from per, from Latin permanens, 'permanent', gel, from Latin gelare, 'freeze', with an -i- of union, and sol, from Latin solum, 'soil'.
First studies
In contrast to the relative paucity of reports on frozen ground in North America before World War II, a vast literature existed in Russian on the basic science of permafrost and the engineering aspects of it. Some Russian authors associate permafrost research with the name of Alexander von Middendorff (1815-1894). However, Russian scientists also realized that Karl Ernst von Baer should be given the attribute of “founder of permafrost scientific research.” In 1843, Baer's original study "Materials for the Study of Perennial Land Ice" was ready for printing. Baer's detailed study consists of 218 pages and was written in the German language, as he was a Baltic German scientist. He taught at the University of Königsberg and became a member of the Saint Petersburg Academy of Sciences. This world's first textbook on permafrost was conceived as a complete work and was ready for printing in 1843. But it remained lost for about 150 years. However, beginning in 1838, Baer edited several individual publications on permafrost. The Russian Academy of Sciences honored Baer by publishing a tentative Russian translation of his study in 1942.