In situ observations of the Swiss periglacial environment using GNSS instruments

Monitoring of the periglacial environment is relevant for many disciplines including glaciology, natural hazard management, geomorphology, and geodesy. Since October 2022, Rock Glacier Velocity (RGV) is a new Essential Climate Variable (ECV) product within the Global Climate Observing System (GCOS). However, geodetic surveys at high elevation remain very challenging due to environmental and logistical reasons. During the past decades, the introduction of low-cost global navigation satellite system (GNSS) technologies has allowed us to increase the accuracy and frequency of the observations. Today, permanent GNSS instruments enable continuous surface displacement observations at millimetre accuracy with a sub-daily resolution. In this paper, we describe decennial time series of GNSS observables as well as accompanying meteorological data. The observations comprise 54 positions located on different periglacial landforms (rock glaciers, landslides, and steep rock walls) at altitudes ranging from 2304 to 4003 ma.s.l. and spread across the Swiss Alps. The primary data products consist of raw GNSS observables in RINEX format, inclinometers, and weather station data. Additionally, cleaned and aggregated time series of the primary data products are provided, including daily GNSS positions derived through two independent processing tool chains. The observations documented here extend beyond the dataset presented in the paper and are currently continued with the intention of long-term monitoring. An annual update of the dataset, available at https://doi.org/10.1594/PANGAEA.948334 (Beutel et al., 2022),​​​​​​​ is planned. With its future continuation, the dataset holds potential for advancing fundamental process understanding and for the development of applied methods in support of e.g. natural hazard management

A decade of detailed observations (2008-2018) in steep bedrock permafrost at the Matterhorn Hörnligrat (Zermatt, CH)

The PermaSense project is an ongoing interdisciplinary effort between geo-science and engineering disciplines and started in 2006 with the goals of realizing observations that previously have not been possible. Specifically, the aims are to obtain measurements in unprecedented quantity and quality based on technological advances. This paper describes a unique >10-year data record obtained from in situ measurements in steep bedrock permafrost in an Alpine environment on the Matterhorn Hörnligrat, Zermatt, Switzerland, at 3500ma:s:l. Through the utilization of state-of-the-art wireless sensor technology it was possible to obtain more data of higher quality, make these data available in near real time and tightly monitor and control the running experiments. This data set (https://doi.org/10.1594/PANGAEA.897640,Weber et al., 2019a) constitutes the longest, densest and most diverse data record in the history of mountain permafrost research worldwide with 17 different sensor types used at 29 distinct sensor locations consisting of over 114.5 million data points captured over a period of 10 or more years. By documenting and sharing these data in this form we contribute to making our past research reproducible and facilitate future research based on these data, e.g., in the areas of analysis methodology, comparative studies, assessment of change in the environment, natural hazard warning and the development of process models. Finally, the cross-validation of four different data types clearly indicates the dominance of thawing-related kinematics

SystemsX.ch

SystemsX. ch has the objective of supporting and promoting the paradigm shift in life sciences research, moving from qualitative to quantitative and predictive biology. The Swiss government has invested CHF 220 million in around 250 interdisciplinary projects involving more than 400 research groups since 2008. Almost half of the projects are designed for PhD students and postdocs to train the next generation of systems biologists. The initiative will conclude in 2018; different measures will ensure its sustainable impact

Using Borehole Temperatures for Knowledge Transfer about Mountain Permafrost: The Example of the 35-year Time Series at Murtèl-Corvatsch (Swiss Alps)

Climate-related permafrost is widespread in cold mountains and heavily affects slope stability. As a subsurface phenomenon, however, it is often still absent in the perception of key partners concerning the discussion and anticipation of long-term impacts on high mountain regions from continued global warming. Outreach and knowledge transfer, therefore, play a key role. Long-term observations of permafrost temperatures measured in boreholes can be used to convey answers and key messages concerning thermal conditions in a spatio-temporal context, related environmental conditions, affected depth ranges, and impacts of warming and degradation on slope stability.The 35-year Murtel-Corvatsch time series of borehole temperatures from which data is available since 1987, is used here as an example. Today, mountain permafrost is well documented and understood regarding involved processes, as well as its occurrence in space and evolution in time. Thermal anomalies caused by global warming already now reach about 100 meters depth, thereby reducing the ground ice content, causing accelerated creep of ice-rich frozen talus/ debris (so-called "rock glaciers") and reducing the stability of large frozen bedrock masses at steep icy faces and peaks.Le permafrost (pergélisol) lié au climat est très répandu dans les montagnes froides et affecte fortement la stabilité des pentes. Cependant, en tant que phénomène de subsurface, il est encore souvent absent de la perception des partenaires clés en ce qui concerne la discussion et l’anticipation des impacts à long terme sur les régions de haute montagne d’un réchauffement climatique continu. La sensibilisation et le transfert de connaissances jouent donc un rôle essentiel. Les observations à long terme des températures du permafrost mesurées dans des forages peuvent être utilisées pour transmettre des réponses et des messages clés concernant les conditions thermiques dans un contexte spatio-temporel, les aspects environnementaux connexes, les gammes de profondeurs affectées et les impacts du réchauffement et de la dégradation sur la stabilité des pentes. La série temporelle de 35 ans de Murtèl-Corvatsch sur les températures de forage, dont les données sont disponibles depuis 1987, est utilisée ici à titre d’exemple. Aujourd’hui, le permafrost de montagne est bien documenté et bien compris en ce qui concerne les processus impliqués, ainsi que sa présence dans l’espace et son évolution dans le temps. Les anomalies thermiques causées par le réchauffement climatique atteignent déjà aujourd’hui une profondeur d’environ 100 mètres, réduisant ainsi la teneur en glace du sol, provoquant un fluage accéléré des éboulis/débris gelés riches en glace des « glaciers rocheux » et réduisant la stabilité des grandes masses rocheuses gelées sur les faces et les pics glacés escarpés.ISSN:0035-1121ISSN:1760-742

Permafrost monitoring in the high mountains of Europe: the PACE Project in its global context

This paper introduces the structure and organization of permafrost monitoring within global climate-related monitoring programmes. The five-tiered principle proposed for the Global Hierarchical Observing Strategy (GHOST) is applied to the Global Terrestrial Network for Permafrost (GTN-P) monitoring system, and the European network of mountain permafrost boreholes established by the PACE project is discussed in the context of GTN-P. Borehole design and standard PACE instrumentation are described and some preliminary data from selected boreholes are presented. The broader research aims of the PACE programme include geophysical investigations, mapping and GIS strategies, numerical distribution modelling, physical modelling of thaw-related slope processes and mountain permafrost hazard assessment