Articles | Volume 7, issue 1
https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-7-1-2019
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the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
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https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-7-1-2019
© Author(s) 2019. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Potentials and pitfalls of permafrost active layer monitoring using the HVSR method: a case study in Svalbard
Andreas Köhler
CORRESPONDING AUTHOR
Department of Geosciences, University of Oslo, Post Box 1047, 0316 Oslo, Norway
Christian Weidle
Institute of Geosciences, Christian-Albrechts-Universität zu Kiel, Kiel, Germany
Related authors
Konstantinos Kalaitzis, Andreas Köhler, Charlotte Bruland, and Alfred Hanssen
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2026-6338, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2026-6338, 2026
This preprint is open for discussion and under review for The Cryosphere (TC).
Short summary
Short summary
Using ambient seismic noise at a long-running array on Svalbard, we show that small changes in ground velocity follow seasonal freezing and thawing in shallow permafrost. Velocity increases when the ground cools and decreases after summer thaw, in step with borehole temperature near the base of the active layer. A slow decrease over three decades is consistent with Arctic warming and a gradual loss of ice-bonded stiffness, and shows that permanent seismic stations can monitor permafrost.
Rowan Romeyn, Alfred Hanssen, and Andreas Köhler
The Cryosphere, 16, 2025–2050, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-16-2025-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-16-2025-2022, 2022
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We have investigated a long-term record of ground vibrations, recorded by a seismic array installed in Adventdalen, Svalbard. This record contains a large number of
frost quakes, a type of ground shaking that can be produced by cracks that form as the ground cools rapidly. We use underground temperatures measured in a nearby borehole to model forces of thermal expansion and contraction that can cause these cracks. We also use the seismic measurements to estimate where these cracks occurred.
Konstantinos Kalaitzis, Andreas Köhler, Charlotte Bruland, and Alfred Hanssen
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2026-6338, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2026-6338, 2026
This preprint is open for discussion and under review for The Cryosphere (TC).
Short summary
Short summary
Using ambient seismic noise at a long-running array on Svalbard, we show that small changes in ground velocity follow seasonal freezing and thawing in shallow permafrost. Velocity increases when the ground cools and decreases after summer thaw, in step with borehole temperature near the base of the active layer. A slow decrease over three decades is consistent with Arctic warming and a gradual loss of ice-bonded stiffness, and shows that permanent seismic stations can monitor permafrost.
Rowan Romeyn, Alfred Hanssen, and Andreas Köhler
The Cryosphere, 16, 2025–2050, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-16-2025-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-16-2025-2022, 2022
Short summary
Short summary
We have investigated a long-term record of ground vibrations, recorded by a seismic array installed in Adventdalen, Svalbard. This record contains a large number of
frost quakes, a type of ground shaking that can be produced by cracks that form as the ground cools rapidly. We use underground temperatures measured in a nearby borehole to model forces of thermal expansion and contraction that can cause these cracks. We also use the seismic measurements to estimate where these cracks occurred.
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Short summary
The uppermost part of permanently frozen ground can thaw during summer and refreeze during winter. We use a method based on naturally generated seismic waves to continuously monitor these changes close to the research settlement of Ny-Ålesund in Svalbard between April and August 2016. Our results reveal some potential pitfalls when interpreting temporal variations in the data. However, we show that a careful data analysis makes this method a very useful tool for long-term permafrost monitoring.
The uppermost part of permanently frozen ground can thaw during summer and refreeze during...
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