Permafrost Is Thawing in Svalbard, Posing a Risk to Cultural Heritage and New Buildings

A recently concluded research project has examined the permafrost in Longyearbyen and Ny-Ålesund on Svalbard and assessed the risk it poses to cultural heritage and modern buildings on the archipelago when the ground thaws.

In areas with permafrost, the top layer of the ground will thaw in the summer and freeze again in the winter. This creates movement in the ground and can affect buildings and objects. This top layer is called the active layer and is getting thicker in many areas due to climate change. 

The PermaRICH project has brought together experts in several fields to help various stakeholders prioritise measures to adapt to changes in the ground. 

"Knowledge about permafrost is fragmented because it is a complex and interdisciplinary topic that can be studied from different perspectives," says Line Rouyet, the lead researcher on the project and senior researcher at the research institute NORCE, to High North News.

She says that the project has been important for collaboration between several stakeholders who all have good knowledge of different aspects of permafrost, and that it has therefore been possible to create a more holistic picture.

Lack of holistic focus

In Norway, the political focus on thawing permafrost has been limited. There are no agencies with overall responsibility for risk management related to thawing permafrost. 

Various bodies in Svalbard, such as Statbygg and Avinor, are working on permafrost challenges that affect them directly, but the institutional memory is weakened due to high turnover of people.

"Thawing of permafrost has several different consequences, and they are naturally handled by different bodies. But it is especially so in Svalbard, since people do not stay there for long and because mainland politics is somewhat disconnected from what happens in Svalbard," says Rouyet.

"There are several different consequences of thawing permafrost, and the different bodies handle different things. But it is especially so in Svalbard, since people do not stay there for long and because Svalbard is somewhat disconnected from what happens on the mainland," says Rouyet.

"How permafrost is handled by different authorities in Norway is therefore somewhat fragmented, both on the mainland and in Svalbard."

"Moreover, there are not many Norwegian areas directly affected by permafrost; it is only Svalbard, some high mountains, and areas on the Finnmark plateau," she adds.

She also believes that it plays a role that the permafrost is hidden. Changes cannot be seen with the naked eye, as when a glacier melts, but occur hidden beneath us.

Arctic cultural heritage

The project aimed to conduct a risk assessment for various buildings and cultural heritage sites in Svalbard, where potential damage to the object and possibly to people affects the assessment given. 

The risk assessment is intended to help decision-makers and other stakeholders prioritise where to implement measures.

"Risk is the combination of hazard and vulnerability. When it comes to modern buildings, a hazard affecting a building with high societal relevance, such as the hospital and the airport, will give a higher risk estimate than for a garage or a cabin," says Rouyet.

When it comes to cultural heritage, the researchers have examined various buildings, objects, and areas related to, among other things, hunting, exploration, mining, and military activities, as well as graves. 

The cultural heritage provides important insight into the history of the European High Arctic and must be preserved. 

"Some things are well preserved in the frozen ground, but as soon as they are exposed to the air or temperatures above zero degrees, they change rapidly," says Rouyet.

"You cannot preserve everything, so the project aims to help prioritise what is urgent." 

The researchers analysed a total of 639 cultural heritage sites and 1,028 modern buildings in Longyearbyen, in addition to 90 cultural heritage sites and 128 modern buildings in Ny-Ålesund.

Methods

Rouyet explains that various methods were used to assess the thawing of the permafrost and how the ground surface may change.

"We have, among other things, looked at satellite images from different times. This allows us to compare how the ground moves both seasonally and between years."

"We have also used instruments on the ground to measure the movements in the ground and how the buildings move because of it."

The researchers also used modern aerial photographs, old maps, and field visits to create new maps showing the distribution of landforms, processes, and deposits. These maps were then used to create indicators that document where permafrost-related processes may pose a threat to cultural heritage and buildings.

Interdisciplinarity

The project has been an interdisciplinary collaboration between NORCE, SINTEF, the Norwegian Institute for Cultural Heritage Research, the Geological Survey of Norway, and the University Centre in Svalbard. 

"This has allowed us to utilise previous projects to do something new together. The breadth has been great," says Rouyet, adding:

"We have been able to combine knowledge of remote sensing, permafrost policy, construction engineering, hazard mapping, cultural heritage knowledge, and permafrost science from local researchers."

The project took place over three years, from 2023 to 2025, and the researchers are now working on communicating the results to relevant stakeholders. 

Rouyet also mentions that the datasets from the project will be incorporated into a permafrost monitoring system that is under development in Longyearbyen.