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.