Repository logo

Infoscience

  • English
  • French
Log In
Logo EPFL, École polytechnique fédérale de Lausanne

Infoscience

  • English
  • French
Log In
  1. Home
  2. Academic and Research Output
  3. Journal articles
  4. Assessment of thermal stabilization measures based on numerical simulations at a Swiss alpine permafrost site
 
research article

Assessment of thermal stabilization measures based on numerical simulations at a Swiss alpine permafrost site

Sharaborova, Elizaveta  
•
Lehning, Michael  
•
Wever, Nander
Show more
October 6, 2025
The Cryosphere

Global warming causes thawing of permafrost, leading to landscape changes and infrastructure damage, problems that have intensified worldwide in all permafrost regions. This study numerically investigates the impact of different thermal stabilization methods on preventing or delaying permafrost thawing. To test different technical methods, an alpine mountain permafrost site with nearby infrastructure is investigated. Model simulations represent the one-dimensional (1D) effect of heat fluxes across the complex system of snow–ice–permafrost layers and the impact of passive and active cooling, including engineered energy flux dynamics at the surface. The results show the efficiency of different passive, active and combined thermal stabilization methods in influencing heat transfer, temperature distribution, and the seasonal active-layer thickness (ALT). Investigating each component of thermal stabilization helps quantify the efficiency of each method and determine their optimal combination. Despite providing efficient cooling in winter, passive methods are less efficient, as the ALT remains over 1 m. Conductive heat flux attenuation alone takes several years to form a stable frozen layer. Active cooling, when powered by solar energy, decreases the ALT to only a few decimetres. The combination of active and passive cooling, together with conductive heat flux attenuation, performs best and allows excess energy to be fed into the local grid. The findings of this study show the evolution of ground temperature and permafrost at a representative alpine site under natural and thermally stabilized conditions, contributing to understanding the potential and limitations of stabilization systems and formulating recommendations for optimal application.

  • Files
  • Details
  • Metrics
Type
research article
DOI
10.5194/tc-19-4277-2025
Author(s)
Sharaborova, Elizaveta  

École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne

Lehning, Michael  

École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne

Wever, Nander
Phillips, Marcia
Huwald, Hendrik  

École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne

Date Issued

2025-10-06

Publisher

Copernicus GmbH

Published in
The Cryosphere
Volume

19

Issue

10

Start page

4277

End page

4301

Editorial or Peer reviewed

REVIEWED

Written at

EPFL

EPFL units
CRYOS  
FunderFunding(s)Grant NumberGrant URL

Staatssekretariat für Bildung, Forschung und Innovation

Government Excellence Scholarship 2022.0064

Available on Infoscience
October 10, 2025
Use this identifier to reference this record
https://infoscience.epfl.ch/handle/20.500.14299/254854
Logo EPFL, École polytechnique fédérale de Lausanne
  • Contact
  • infoscience@epfl.ch

  • Follow us on Facebook
  • Follow us on Instagram
  • Follow us on LinkedIn
  • Follow us on X
  • Follow us on Youtube
AccessibilityLegal noticePrivacy policyCookie settingsEnd User AgreementGet helpFeedback

Infoscience is a service managed and provided by the Library and IT Services of EPFL. © EPFL, tous droits réservés