Probabilistic Regularities of Soil Cover Patterns in Landscapes with Polygonal Wedge Ice Development

The widespread distribution of polygonal wedge ice within the cryolithozone necessitates an examination of its formation patterns, development, and morphological features. This paper deals with the identification of probabilistic regularities in soil cover patterns within landscapes with polygonal wedge ice. The study was conducted at 10 key sites in different physiographical environments within the Russian Arctic, Spitsbergen Island, and Banks Island. From high-resolution satellite imagery, the main parameters of the polygonal networks were obtained, such as the area of the polygons, the area of the lakes within them, and the location of the polygon centers. The results of the study allowed us to conclude that the probability of distribution of polygon areas in regions with random polygonal wedge ice networks obeys a lognormal law in different physiographical environments; the distribution parameters vary depending on the specific conditions of each site. The lognormal distribution of polygon areas can be explained by the random process of sequential division of polygons by frost cracking fissures in random, independent ratios. Analysis of the number distribution of polygon centers showed statistically significant deviations from the Poisson distribution on randomly selected sites, indicating that even in landscapes with random networks of polygonal wedge ice, the location of polygons cannot be considered random.