Geocryology

Geocryology is the science concerned with the occurrence, distribution, and processes of frozen ground, including permafrost, ground ice, and the active layer atop perennially frozen substrates. It studies how climate, geology, hydrology, and biology interact to shape frozen ground and its evolution over time. Geocryology addresses a range of environments, especially the Arctic, subarctic, and high-altitude regions where temperatures remain at or below freezing for extended periods.

Key phenomena include permafrost with continuous or discontinuous distribution, ice-rich sediments, ice wedges, pingos, thermokarst landscapes formed by thawing ground ice, frost heave, and solifluction of soils. The active layer above permafrost thaws seasonally. Ground ice content and ice lens formation control ground subsidence, slope stability, and surface deformation, with significant implications for infrastructure and ecosystems.

Methods include borehole temperature measurements, thaw depth monitoring, geophysical surveys such as ground-penetrating radar and electrical resistivity, and remote sensing techniques. Data are used to map permafrost extent, model future changes under warming climates, and plan engineering projects, hazard assessments, and land-use strategies in cold regions.

Geocryology intersects geology, geography, hydrology, climatology, and engineering. Its relevance has grown with climate change, as permafrost thaw alters terrain, release methane, and affects infrastructure. The field continues to develop through field campaigns, laboratory studies, and numerical modeling.