The University Centre in Svalbard

The study site is set in the Brogger Peninsula (78°55’ N, 11°51’ E), close to the village of Ny- Ålesund. In particular the borehole is located on almost flat zone called Kolhaugen, between the coast and the Austre Broggerbreen forefield. The borehole is at 55 m a.s.l. very close less than 100 m southeastward from the Climatic Change Tower of CNR (Italy). Geologically the surface is composed by loose deposits (mainly marine beach deposits and rock weathered in situ-colluvium) with a not well developed soil above. Several inactive sorted circles occur in the area as well as some soli-gelifluction lobes and terraccettes. The study area lies in a polar semi-desert where three main vegetation types occur: 1) ridge vegetation with mesic conditions dominated by Dryas octopetala L. and Cassiope tetragona (L.) D. Don., 2) snow-bed vegetation with snow cover persistence dominated by Salix polaris Wahlenb., 3) heath vegetation where snow melt occurs early dominated by Carex rupestris All. and Saxifraga oppositifolia L.. Mosses and lichens are widespread in all the three types of vegetation.

Flat structural knob covered by at least 2.89 m of sediments but probably weathered rock (mainly sandstone) is present down to 10.45 m of depth. Snow is generally thin respect the surrounding areas (<0.3 m). Drilling operations were without any fluids (except for compressed air) starting with dry coring down to 2.89 m and afterwards partially without coring (hammer) with the collection of cuttings every visible changes. Ice content visible in the sediments both as interstitial and segregated ice needs to be analysed as well as the cores. The borehole has been drilled with a diameter of 51 mm. An hpd case with an internal diameter of 29 mm and ceiled at bottom was installed too. At the top the case is encapsulated in a bigger pipe (50 mm of diameter) that from the borehole reach the datalogger. Note that for firmware problems the data between 18 July 2015 to 26/01/2016 are too noisy to be accepted.

Drilling without fluids (except for compressed air) starting with dry coring down to 2.89 m and afterwards partially without coring (hammer) with collection of cuttings at visible changes. Hpd case with an internal diameter of 29 mm and sealed at bottom. At the top the case is enclosed in a bigger pipe (50 mm diameter) that from the borehole reaches the datalogger.

The system of long - term permafrost observations was organized on the permafrost site of Russian Scientific Center on Spitsbergen in summer 2016 (Demidov et al., 2016). The monitoring site is established in the vicinity of the mining settlement Barentsburg on a sequence of Holocene marine terraces. The core drilling showed that the thickness of gravel sands and clays with massive and schlieren cryostructure forming the accumulative terraces is of 2 – 7 m.

Borehole is situated on a flat subhorizontal surface (inclination 2 ° to the NW) of top step of stairs of marine terraces in the vicinity of Barentsburg aerodrom, 95 m a.s.l.. Surface of terrace around drill point has ill-defined pattern structure. Soil is covered by plant cover (~80% of square) or by rocks (~20% of square). Also near to borehole there were remains of wood and metal tubes which had been used for drilling. In 2017 this remains were cleared away. Geological crossection is represented by fractured sandstone and mudstone overlaid by 2 m of gravelly loam with rocks. This borehole dates by early thirties of XX century when core drilling in the vicinity of Barentsburg was made for the purpose of coal exploration.