Permafrost on Severnaya Zemlya Archipelago and Wiese Island, Russian High Arctic.
N. E. Demidov,
A. N. Rachkova,
A. V. Guzeva,
A. Yu. Gunar,
A. V. Kozachek,
S. S. Krasilnikov,
N. L. Sekisov,
K. B. Tchikhatchev,
Yu. V. Ugryumov,
T. Opel,
H. Meyer,
S. Wetterich https://doi.org/10.30758/0555-2648-2026-72-1-85-112
Abstract
Climate conditions largely control the properties and distribution of permafrost. Its sensitivity to warming makes it a valuable indicator of ongoing climate change. This is especially true for High Latitudes, where climate warming accelerates at the highest rates worldwide. However, little is known about permafrost conditions, its properties and features on the High Arctic Islands, the northernmost land where permafrost occurs. For the first time, the present study summarizes Soviet literature data, recent drilling and other observation data of periglacial landforms, ground temperatures, cryostratigraphy and ground ice properties (including stable water isotope data, partly obtained during the Arctic Century Expedition in 2021) on the Severnaya Zemlya Archipelago and adjacent Wiese Island in the Russian High Arctic. The study provides baseline information on High Arctic permafrost to encourage and promote further investigations of the state and dynamics of warming permafrost.
Keywords
Russian High Arctic,
Severnaya Zemlya,
Wiese Island,
Arctic permafrost,
active layer,
ice wedge,
frost blister
Supporting agencies: Studies on the Severnaya Zemlya Archipelago were undertaken with support by the Russian Science Foundation (grant no. 19-77-10066) and field assistance from the High-Latitude Arctic Expedition (HLAE). Work on Wiese Island was part of the program of development of the Russian National System of Background Permafrost Monitoring (RNS BPM). This research used samples and/or data provided by the Arctic Century Expedition, a joint initiative led by the Swiss Polar Institute (SPI), the Antarctic and Arctic Research Institute (AARI) and GEOMAR Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research Kiel (GEOMAR) and funded by the Swiss Polar Foundation.
About the Authors
N. E. Demidov
State Scientific Center of the Russian Federation Arctic and Antarctic Research Institute
Russian Federation
Russian Federation
A. N. Rachkova
State Scientific Center of the Russian Federation Arctic and Antarctic Research Institute
Russian Federation
Russian Federation
A. V. Guzeva
Institute of Limnology, Russian Academy of Sciences — St. Petersburg Federal Research Center of the Russian Academy of Sciences
Russian Federation
Russian Federation
A. Yu. Gunar
Moscow State Lomonosov University
Russian Federation
Russian Federation
A. V. Kozachek
State Scientific Center of the Russian Federation Arctic and Antarctic Research Institute
Russian Federation
Russian Federation
S. S. Krasilnikov
State Scientific Center of the Russian Federation Arctic and Antarctic Research Institute; The Hong Kong Polytechnic University
Russian Federation
Russian Federation
N. L. Sekisov
State Scientific Center of the Russian Federation Arctic and Antarctic Research Institute
Russian Federation
Russian Federation
K. B. Tchikhatchev
State Scientific Center of the Russian Federation Arctic and Antarctic Research Institute
Russian Federation
Russian Federation
Yu. V. Ugryumov
State Scientific Center of the Russian Federation Arctic and Antarctic Research Institute
Russian Federation
Russian Federation
T. Opel
Alfred Wegener Institute Helmholtz Center for Polar and Marine Research
Germany
Germany
H. Meyer
Alfred Wegener Institute Helmholtz Center for Polar and Marine Research
Germany
Germany
S. Wetterich
Alfred Wegener Institute Helmholtz Center for Polar and Marine Research; Technische Universität Dresden, Institute of Geography
Germany
Germany
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For citations:
Demidov N.E., Rachkova A.N., Guzeva A.V., Gunar A.Yu., Kozachek A.V., Krasilnikov S.S., Sekisov N.L., Tchikhatchev K.B., Ugryumov Yu.V., Opel T., Meyer H., Wetterich S. Permafrost on Severnaya Zemlya Archipelago and Wiese Island, Russian High Arctic. Arctic and Antarctic Research. 2026;72(1):85-112. https://doi.org/10.30758/0555-2648-2026-72-1-85-112
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