Thermal diffusivity of mountain permafrost derived from borehole temperature data in the Swiss Alps

18 December 2025

The properties of the permafrost ground depend on its temperature and composition. The authors used temperature data from 29 boreholes in Switzerland to study how heat moves through different types of mountain permafrost landforms, supporting a physically meaningful interpretation of thermal properties in terms of ice content, water saturation, and porosity. Understanding changes is important because they can affect how stable mountain slopes are and how easy it is to build things in mountain areas.

Please also read the press release by WSL Institute for Snow and Avalanche Research SLF.

Contact: Samuel Weber (samuel.weber@slf.ch)