Permafrost Monitoring of Switzerland (PERMOS)

The Swiss Permafrost Monitoring Network (PERMOS) systematically documents the state and changes of mountain permafrost in the Swiss Alps. PERMOS was initiated in the 1990's and is operational since the year 2000. The Department of Geosciences at the University of Fribourg is one of six PERMOS partner intuitions contributing to the monitoring activities and is also the host institution of the PERMOS Office.

 

Permafrost monitoring variables:

PERMOS includes three types of observations, which are taken at various sites and on different landforms in varying topographic settings:

  1. Ground temperatures measured in boreholes and at the surface close to the drill sites.
  2. Changes in subsurface ice and unfrozen water content at the drill sites by geoelectrical monitoring surveys.
  3. Velocities of permafrost creep determined by geodetic surveys and photogrammetry. In addition, fast mass movements from permafrost areas (e.g., rock fall) are documented.

 

Publications

 

 

 

Duration: Since 2000

Funded by: The PERMOS network receives substantial financial support from the Federal Institute for Meteorology and Climatology MeteoSwiss through GCOS Switzerland, the Federal Office for the Environment FOEN and the Swiss Academy of Sciences (SCNAT).

Collaborators: Reynald Delaloye, Cécile Pellet and Jeannette Noetzli (based at SLF in Davos); Luc Braillard, Christan Hauck, Christin Hilbich, Martin Hoelzle, Mario Kummert, Coline Mollaret, David Sciboz; members of the PERMOS Scientific and Steering Committees

Partner(s): Universities of Lausanne and Zurich, ETH Zurich, University of Applied Sciences and Arts of Southern Switzerland SUPSI, and the WSL Institute for Snow and Avalanche Research SLF

 

Webpage 

 

Contact

Dr. Cécile Pellet

Geography
Department of Geosciences

University of Fribourg
Chemin du Musée 4

CH–1700 Fribourg

   +41 26 300 90 21

 Email