Permafrost in Svalbard: a review of research history, climatic background and engineering challenges

Abstract

This paper reviews permafrost in High Arctic Svalbard, including past and current research, climatic background, how permafrost is affected by climatic change, typical permafrost landforms and how changes in Svalbard permafrost may impact natural and human systems. Information on active layer dynamics, permafrost and ground ice characteristics and selected periglacial features is summarized from the recent literature and from unpublished data by the authors. Permafrost thickness ranges from less than 100 m near the coasts to more than 500 m in the highlands. Ground ice is present as rock glaciers, as ice‐cored moraines, buried glacial ice, and in pingos and ice wedges in major valleys. Engineering problems of thaw‐settlement and frost‐heave are described, and the implications for road design and construction in Svalbard permafrost areas are discussed.

Quantification of the ice-cored moraines' short-term dynamics in the high-Arctic glaciers Ebbabreen and Ragnarbreen, Petuniabukta, Svalbard

“…Humlum et al, 2003;Etzelmüller and Hagen, 2005). The permafrost's active layer in the vicinity of Petuniabukta reaches a depth of 1.2 m close to the coast (Rachlewicz and Szczuciński, 2008) and varies between 0.5 and 2.5 m inland (Gibas et al, 2005).…”

Modeling the temperature evolution of Svalbard permafrost during the 20th and 21st century

“…Permafrost is continuous in the parts of the high-arctic archipelago of Svalbard not covered by glaciers (75)(76)(77)(78)(79)(80)(81)(82) • N) (e.g. Humlum et al, 2003;Liestøl, 1977). The location of Svalbard in the northern part of the warm North-Atlantic ocean current makes its climate especially sensitive to atmospheric and oceanic changes (e.g.…”

Polygon pattern geomorphometry on Svalbard (Norway) and western Utopia Planitia (Mars) using high-resolution stereo remote-sensing data

“…1), exhibits a diverse inventory of periglacial landforms in close spatial proximity. Svalbard is situated in the zone of continuous permafrost (Brown et al, 1998), which is widespread primarily outside the 60%-glacier-covered area (Humlum et al, 2003). Lachenbruch (1962) Polygon nets Drainage Small nets → b27°slope Large nets → to 31°slope Washburn (1979) Ice or sand wedge formation…”

“…Permafrost ages on Svalbard are estimated to be late Holocene in the valleys and the coastal areas (Humlum et al, 2003). The permafrost temperature on Svalbard is − 2.3°C to −5.6°C , and active-layer thickness varies from a few decimeters to 1.5 m depending on vegetation, snow cover, and subsurface conditions ).…”