Near Pan-Svalbard permafrost cryospheric hazards inventory (SvalCryo)

• Published in: Scientific Data
• Main Authors: Ionut Cristi Nicu, Lena Rubensdotter, Hakan Tanyaș, Luigi Lombardo
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: Nature Portfolio 2024
• Subjects: Science; Q; Climate change; Global warming; Ice; permafrost; Svalbard
• Online Access: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41597-024-03754-7; https://doaj.org/article/713396ce65f04a13b65d54ad4ead6146

Abstract Cryospheric hazards - in this case, thaw slumps (TS) and thermo-erosion gullies (TEG) - are phenomena typical of permafrost-dominated landscapes. Open datasets informing about their spatial, temporal and size distributions in the Arctic are still uncommon, as opposed to the systematic availability of this information for geomorphic processes in mid- to low- latitudes. To date, only the most populated region of Svalbard was covered with TS and TEG inventories. Here, we extend the respective information to most of the Archipelago, totalling 8491 polygons, out of which 3679 are TSs and 4812 are TEGs. These have been manually mapped from aerial photographs throughout Svalbard across the 14 largest ice-free regions. The SvalCryo inventory is highly relevant as the Arctic environment undergoes alarming changes in response to global warming. The idea behind the two inventories is to support the geoscientific community in the quest to evaluate the environmental response to climate change, by creating a baseline for change monitoring, and ultimately to serve as basis for susceptibility, hazard and risk assessment models.