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Climate Science Glossary
Return to glossary listActive layer
"The layer of ground that is subject to annual thawing and freezing in areas underlain by permafrost" (Van Everdingen, 1998).
In very cold climates the ground can freeze in winter. During the spring thaw the upper most layers of the ground can thaw again - this is the Active Layer. Below this the ground may stay frozen all year round. This is the permafrost.
Definition based on (revised from) IPCC AR4.
All IPCC definitions taken from Climate Change 2007: The Physical Science Basis. Working Group I Contribution to the Fourth Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, Annex I, Glossary, pp. 941-954. Cambridge University Press.
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