f A COMPARISON OF AEM INVERSION METHODS FOR DISCONTINUOUS PERMAFROST NEAR FORT YUKON, ALASKA

Permafrost is a predominant physical feature of Arctic and sub-Arctic regions, and is sensitive to climate change. How warming of the permafrost affects near-surface hydrologic processes, ecosystems, and infrastructure is not clearly understood. A better understanding of the dynamic distribution and physical properties of permafrost, from continuous to discontinuous, provides knowledge of how the permafrost may change in the future and help inform engineering and sustainable management strategies. In June 2010, the US Geological Survey acquired 875 line km of RESOLVE frequency-domain airborne electromagnetic (AEM) data over a ~300 sq. km block near Fort Yukon in Alaska for imaging permafrost characteristics at various scales.