Ninth International Conference on Permafrost ... - IARC Research

NORPERM: The Norwegian TSP Permafrost DatabaseKirsti MidttømmeGeological Survey of Norway, NGUGeir StrandGeological Survey of Norway, NGUHåvard JuliussenDepartment of Geology, The University Centre in Svalbard, NorwayHanne H. ChristiansenDepartment of Geology, The University Centre in Svalbard, NorwayIntroductionAccording to the IPY data policy, all data from IPYprojects should be stored in international data repositories,ensuring long-term preservation and sustained access.Also, the increasing amount of ground temperature data inNorway and Svalbard collected as part of different projectsneeds to be managed and stored centrally in a standardformat database. The Geological Survey of Norway (NGU)is the managing institution for geological data in Norway,and is thus the obvious institution to host the Norwegianground temperature database. A Norwegian permafrostdatabase—NORPERM—is thus being developed at NGU aspart of the IPY project “Permafrost Observatory Project: AContribution to the Thermal State of Permafrost in Norwayand Svalbard (TSP NORWAY)” (Etzelmüller et al. 2008).This database will include temperature data from about40 existing boreholes, hundreds of miniloggers measuringshallow ground temperatures, Bottom Temperature of Snow(BTS) campaigns, and from similar research projects suchas the CRYOLINK project (Etzelmüller et al. submitted).NORPERM will be the important data legacy from the TSPNORWAY project.Data Sources – The TSP NORWAY ProjectThe observatories and data of the TSP NORWAY projectare used as templates for NORPERM. There are two mainpermafrost observatories in TSP NORWAY: Troms innorthern Norway and Nordensköldland in Svalbard (Fig.1). Within the observatories, individual measurement sites(boreholes, miniloggers, etc.) are grouped together at specificso-called permafrost locations (e.g., mountains, valleys,etc.). Temperature data to be included in NORPERM areground temperatures in 10–20 m deep boreholes, shallowground temperatures using miniloggers, and traditionalBTS data. There are 11 TSP boreholes in northern Norwayand around 15 in Svalbard. Data from in situ periglacialprocess monitoring, geodetic surveys and/or remote sensingof landform dynamics, and periglacial landform ages arealso collected in the TSP project and may be included in thedatabase.Extensive datasets on ground temperature exist, mainlyfrom southern Norway, from previous permafrost projectssuch as the PACE project and the Dovrefjell monitoringprogramme (Etzelmüller et al. submitted), and from severalPhD theses.NORPERM – Structure and AccessThe structure of NORPERM is shown in Figure 2.NORPERM is structured with “permafrost location” at thefirst level, corresponding to the locations where measurementsare clustered. Overview information on climate, large-scalegeomorphology, geology, etc., and photos are included at thislevel. At the next level are boreholes, (with either continuoustemperature logging or sporadic manual measurements),Figure 1. Left: the Norwegian part of the North Scandinavian Permafrost Observatory (69–70°N). Right: the Svalbard NordenskioldslandPermafrost Observatory (78°N). Locations of TSP (black dots) and existing (grey dots) boreholes are shown. Based on Google Earth.213