Ground ice content predictions for the Northern Hemisphere permafrost region at 1-km resolution

Ground ice content is one of the least known characteristics of the permafrost-affected soils in the Northern Hemisphere. At the same time, ground ice content exerts a crucial effect on the thermal response of permafrost to changing climate and environmental conditions, and dictates the permafrost degradation-related geomorphic, hydrologic, and ecological processes, including thermokarst. This dataset presents numerical estimates of volumetric ice content over the permafrost region at a 1-km spatial resolution. The predictions are representative of pore and segregated ice contents in the topmost five meters of permafrost. We use compilations of field measurements of ground ice contents from across the permafrost region to train statistical models and to predict volumetric ice content with the aid of high-resolution geospatial data on climatic, soil and topography conditions. The dataset facilitates assessments of conditions of changing permafrost landscapes at an improved spatial and thematic resolution.