FROST PROBLEMS AND PHOTO INTERPRETATION
(1950), Washburn has shown photos from
Canada (Banks Island and Victoria Island),
East Greenland, Svalbard (West Spitsbergen),
Sweden (Öland and Dalecarlia) and Faeroe
Islands.
An excellent low-oblique from Randbölda-
len, Central-East Greenland, of a volcano-like
"Pingo," taken by Lauge Kochs exp:s, is
shown in a paper by Hoppe (1957), see refer-
ences.
Hógbom (1914) preferably used photos of
patterned ground from Spitsbergen-tundras,
but from Dovre, Norway, at 3,940—5,250 feet
(1,200-1,600 m.) and northern Lappland,
Sweden, at 3,600 feet (1,100 m.) as well.
Lundqvist (1948) shows photos of conspicu-
ous patterned ground from Sweden northeast
of Helagsfjället at Lat. about 62.8° North
and 3,660 feet above sea level, etc.
Sako (1958) and others use in their paper,
see references, photos from the central high-
land of Hokkaido, the northernmost island of
Japan, where well-sorted polygons occur at
6,000 feet (abt. 1,840 m.) and sorted stripes
at 4,900 feet (1,500 m.). On the main island
Honshu the same patterns occur at 10,200
feet (3,100 m.) and 8,000 feet (abt. 2,450 m.)
respectively.
Of all other observations concerning pat-
terned ground, I will here mention only Ros-
coe’s report (1952) on Antarctic surface fea-
tures studied by photo-geographical methods,
see references. When analyzing air photos of
nonglaciated areas there, Roscoe found pat-
terned ground with perfectly developed large
non-sorted polygons on really steep slopes.
This interesting statement is worth closer
study in large-scale stereograms, and, if pos-
sible, checking by field observations.
Finally, may be mentioned that traces of
Fic. 13. Ground photo of non-sorted polygons (ice-
wedge polygons) in the continuous-permafrost
zone near Barrow, Arctic coastal plain, Alaska.
Flat to high-centered polygons with wide, shallow
troughs. Briefcase (center) abt. 18 inches (45 cm.)
long. A great thaw lake in background. (Photo by
the author August 19, 1955.)
16
Fic. 14. Ground view of an Zce-wedge in the
permafrost zone west of Barrow, Alaska. The cut
clearly shows the position of the wedge beneath
the trough between two raised polygons. (Photo
by the author August 20, 1955.)
periglacial ground frost with reminiscences of
patterned ground, e.g. polygons and ice-
wedges etc., occur in many areas of earlier
glaciated regions in different parts of the
world (Johnsson).
My own contribution to the collection of
patterned ground pictures are the photos
shown in this paper. In color, however, they
are more striking. Some of them are from the
Arctic coastal plain of Alaska, taken in Au-
gust 1955, while others are from the North
East Land, Svalbard, taken by the author in
July 1957.
CONCLUSION
The development of improved photograph-
ic technique, as regards camera equipment,
photographic emulsions, and photo process-
ing equipment as well, favor photo interpre-
tation. Thanks to the new electronic print-
ers, the pictures show up a wealth of the finest
details even in seemingly hopeless parts of a
negative. Photos with measuring accuracy
and perfect sharpness always favor interpre-
tation. On the basis of these facts, it may be
stated that the great possibilities which pho-
to interpretation of to-day offer to the re-
searcher will be of special importance also in
areas with ground frost problems. For the
progress of engineering and agriculture in
such areas, as well as for the fascinating scien-
tific research of patterned ground, photo in-
terpretation as a science will no doubt be of
great help and value, and therefore cannot be
overlooked.