Dictionary.com
Thesaurus.com
Showing results for active layer. Search instead for active+layer.

active layer

American  

noun

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


Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

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

From Science Daily • Mar. 4, 2026

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

From Science Daily • Mar. 5, 2024

Built in the early 1960s, Arecibo was initially designed to study the Earths ionosphere, the chemically active layer in the upper atmosphere that is ionized by solar radiation.

From Slate • Nov. 23, 2020

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