Heat transfer within frozen slopes in subarctic Yukon, Canada

The dominant mechanism of heat transfer during ground thaw is typically assumed to be vertical conduction. However, the addition of lateral subsurface water flow introduces the potential for the forced convection of energy, having an influence on ground temperatures and thaw rates. Field observations of snowmelt run-off and rates of ground thaw for two slopes within the Wolf Creek basin, Yukon, Canada, highlighted different rates of ground thaw …