active layer

American  

noun

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

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Example Sentences

They also studied how vanadium dioxide interacts with the substrate material titanium dioxide and said they were surprised to discover that there seems to be an active layer in the substrate that behaves similarly to the semiconductor material on top of it when the semiconductor switches between an insulator -- not letting electricity flow -- and a metal -- letting electricity flow.

From Science Daily

As the Arctic warms, the active layer is getting thicker, and Rawlins wanted to know how that thickening, combined with warming and an intensified water cycle, would affect the terrestrial Arctic environment.

From Science Daily

The upper part of the permafrost that thaws each summer is called the active layer, and it has been of particular interest to Michael Rawlins, associate professor in the Department of Earth, Geographic and Climate Sciences at UMass Amherst and the paper's lead author.

From Science Daily

Rawlins then fed the climate-model data into his Permafrost Water Balance Model, and what he discovered is that the thawing permafrost and associated thickening of the active layer which, Rawlins says, "acts like a giant bucket," will fundamentally alter the region's hydrology.

From Science Daily

"A thicker active layer creates a bigger bucket for storing water," says Rawlins.

From Science Daily