The regional distribution of mountain permafrost in Iceland

A regional map of permafrost distribution in Iceland was developed based on meteorological data. The regional model was calibrated with ground surface temperature data and tested using ground temperature data from four shallow boreholes and a rock glacier inventory. The results indicate widespread mountain permafrost at elevations above 800-900 m a.s.l. in northern and eastern Iceland. According to the regional map, the mountain permafrost zone covers c. 8000 km 2 which is about 8% of the country's land area. Copyright (C) 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.