Swiss permafrost continues to thaw

Permafrost in Switzerland has warmed up, numerous signs of degradation have been observed and most rock glaciers have become much faster, concludes the Swiss Permafrost Monitoring Network (PERMOS) after 20 years of observations. Permafrost temperatures measured in bore holes have increased at all 15 monitoring sites, researchers said in a statement. The longest series of measurements, going back 32 years, from the rock glacier Corvatsch-Murtèl in the Upper Engadine valley show that the permafrost has warmed up by about 1°C at a depth of ten metres and by about 0.5°C at a depth of 20 metres since the beginning of the measurements. The water content in the permafrost has also increased significantly and the thaw layer – the layer that reaches positive temperatures in summer – is now several metres deeper at the borehole locations. In addition, the movements of the 15 surveyed rock glaciers, which consist of boulders and ice, have increased to several metres per year. At the...