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active layer

American  

noun

  1. (in Arctic or subarctic regions) the layer of soil, above the permafrost, that thaws during the summer.


Example Sentences

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The active layer holds large quantities of organic material that have been frozen for thousands of years.

From Science Daily Apr. 4, 2026

When electricity passes through, electrons and holes recombine inside the active layer.

From Science Daily Mar. 4, 2026

Permafrost still covers 85 percent of the state, but “almost everywhere, the depth of the active layer is increasing over the last few decades,” said Thoman.

From Slate Mar. 11, 2015

This sequence of steps is affected by the morphology of the active layer.

From Nature Aug. 15, 2012

Because the frozen permafrost was just a half meter beneath the active layer of soil, all the water on the tundra stayed near the surface.

From "Two Degrees" by Alan Gratz

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