Tilt of spruce trees near ice wedges, Mackenzie Delta, Northwest Territories(CIMP108)

File Identifier: {57FAE54C-0C9A-480B-BFFC-60E98CC672D2}

Metadata Language: en

Responsible Party:

Organisation Name: NWT CIMP

Role: Point Of Contact

Contact Info:

E-Mail Address: yvonne_pike@gov.nt.ca

Metadata Date: 2019-02-28

Metadata Standard Name: ISO 19139/19115 Metadata for Datasets

Metadata Standard Version: 2003

Abstract: Ice wedges are common in the Mackenzie Delta, although troughs may be filled by sediments and obscured by growth of vegetation. At four sites in eastern Mackenzie Delta, over 85% of the trees within 1 m of ice-wedge troughs leaned towards these troughs. The mean angle of lean was 128 from the vertical, with some trees leaning by more than 258. The angle of tree tilt varied inversely with distance from the ice-wedge trough and most of the trees over 1 m from an adjacent trough leaned away from the ice-wedge. Trees near the troughs are susceptible to toppling because their root systems trail away from the troughs. Reaction-wood rings in cross-sectional disks from trees leaning towards troughs indicated that progressive tilting has been sustained for decades to centuries. Long-term rates of tree tilting are estimated to be between 0.1 and 0.48 a-1. Progressive, unidirectional tilting may eventually destroy the spruce trees. In Mackenzie Delta, where forest fire is infrequent, earth movements associated with ice-wedge polygons may be one mechanism driving forest change in old-growth stands.

Language: en

Citation:

Contact Info:

Title: Tilt of spruce trees near ice wedges, Mackenzie Delta, Northwest Territories(CIMP108)

Date:

Date: 2019-02-28

Date Type: Publication Date

Topic Category: Environment and Conservation

Keyword Collection:

Keyword: Tilt of spruce trees

Keyword: ice wedges

Keyword: Mackenzie Delta

Keyword: Artic Alpine

Spatial Extent:

West Bounding Longitude: -136

East Bounding Longitude: -132.5

North Bounding Latitude: 69.3

South Bounding Latitude: 68

Transfer Options:

URL: https://nwtdiscoveryportal.enr.gov.nt.ca/geoportaldocuments/CIMP108-Tilt%20of%20Spruce%20Trees%20near%20Ice%20Wedges%2C%20Mackenzie%20Delta%2C%20Northwest%20Territories%2C%20Canada.pdf

Distributor:

Distributor Contact:

Organisation Name: Cumulative Impact Monitoring Program (CIMP)

Role: Point Of Contact