Global Permafrost Borehole Inventory for Thermal State Monitoring

Approximately 860 boreholes across both hemispheres form this inventory from the International Permafrost Association's Thermal State of Permafrost project. The dataset provides standardized snapshots of permafrost temperature, including borehole coordinates, elevation, depth, year drilled, mean annual ground temperature, and permafrost thickness. It was compiled during the International Polar Year 2007-2009 to establish a baseline for monitoring long-term permafrost dynamics.

Use Cases

• Mapping contemporary permafrost temperatures and thickness using geographic coordinates, MAGT, and PF thickness columns.
• Analyzing temporal changes in ground temperature by comparing current MAGT snapshots with historical records from borehole year drilled data.
• Assessing regional permafrost distribution and project coverage by filtering on country and affiliation fields.
• Supporting the calibration of climate models with in-situ permafrost temperature and active layer measurements.

Strengths

• Global coverage with data from over 25 participating countries across both hemispheres.
• Standardized measurement protocol ensures comparability across the network of approximately 860 boreholes.
• Includes approximately 350 boreholes drilled and instrumented specifically during the intensive International Polar Year period.

Limitations

• Exact row count and complete column list are not specified in the provided metadata.
• Conflicting last updated dates: one source states 2026-03-13, another states 2009-12 -31.
• License is ambiguously noted as 'other-license-specified' without explicit terms.

Provenance

Source

International Permafrost Association (IPA) under the Thermal State of Permafrost (TSP) Project #50.

Collection Method

Coordinated acquisition of standardized temperature measurements from borehole networks established during the International Polar Year.

Time Range

Primary data acquisition during International Polar Year 2007-2009, with boreholes drilled over various years.

Freshness

2026-03-13 01:09:51.031784

Geography

Global permafrost regions in both Northern and Southern Hemispheres.