The role of permafrost and seasonal frost in the hydrology of northern wetlands in North America

Wetlands are a common landscape feature in the Arctic, Subarctic, and north Temperate zones of North America. In all three-zones, the occurrnce of seasonal frost results in similar surface-water processes in the early spring. For example, surface ice and snow generally melt before the soil frost thaws, causing melt water to flow into depressions, over the land surface and at times, across low topographic divides. However, evapotranspiration and …