Permafrost Degradation: Mechanisms, Effects, and (Im)Possible Remediation
The result's identifiers
Result code in IS VaVaI
<a href="https://www.isvavai.cz/riv?ss=detail&h=RIV%2F00216208%3A11310%2F25%3A10504764" target="_blank" >RIV/00216208:11310/25:10504764 - isvavai.cz</a>
Result on the web
<a href="https://verso.is.cuni.cz/pub/verso.fpl?fname=obd_publikace_handle&handle=k8NwNJtYgh" target="_blank" >https://verso.is.cuni.cz/pub/verso.fpl?fname=obd_publikace_handle&handle=k8NwNJtYgh</a>
DOI - Digital Object Identifier
<a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/land14101949" target="_blank" >10.3390/land14101949</a>
Alternative languages
Result language
angličtina
Original language name
Permafrost Degradation: Mechanisms, Effects, and (Im)Possible Remediation
Original language description
Permafrost degradation, driven by the thawing of ground ice, results in the progressive thinning and eventual loss of the permafrost layer. This process alters hydrological and ecological systems by increasing surface and subsurface water flow, changing vegetation density, and destabilising the ground. The thermal and hydraulic conductivity of permafrost are strongly temperature-dependent, both increasing as the soil warms, thereby accelerating thaw. In addition, thawing permafrost releases large quantities of greenhouse gases, establishing a feedback loop in which global warming both drives and is intensified by permafrost loss. This paper reviews the mechanisms and consequences of permafrost degradation, including reductions in strength and enhanced deformability, which induce landslides and threaten the structural integrity of foundations and critical infrastructure. Permafrost has been investigated and modelled extensively, and various approaches have been devised to address the consequences of thawing permafrost on communities and the built environment. Some techniques focus on keeping the ground frozen via insulation, while others propose local replacement of permafrost with more stable materials. However, given the scale and pace of current changes, systematic remediation appears unfeasible. This calls for increased efforts towards adaptation, informed by interdisciplinary research.
Czech name
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Czech description
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Classification
Type
J<sub>imp</sub> - Article in a specialist periodical, which is included in the Web of Science database
CEP classification
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OECD FORD branch
10505 - Geology
Result continuities
Project
<a href="/en/project/LL2316" target="_blank" >LL2316: Thermally-induced instability of slopes under climate change</a><br>
Continuities
P - Projekt vyzkumu a vyvoje financovany z verejnych zdroju (s odkazem do CEP)<br>I - Institucionalni podpora na dlouhodoby koncepcni rozvoj vyzkumne organizace
Others
Publication year
2025
Confidentiality
S - Úplné a pravdivé údaje o projektu nepodléhají ochraně podle zvláštních právních předpisů
Data specific for result type
Name of the periodical
Land
ISSN
2073-445X
e-ISSN
2073-445X
Volume of the periodical
14
Issue of the periodical within the volume
10
Country of publishing house
CH - SWITZERLAND
Number of pages
27
Pages from-to
1949
UT code for WoS article
001603133700001
EID of the result in the Scopus database
2-s2.0-105020192486