Articles | Volume 18, issue 10
https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-18-4787-2024
© Author(s) 2024. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-18-4787-2024
© Author(s) 2024. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Review article
| 
23 Oct 2024
Review article |
| 23 Oct 2024
| 23 Oct 2024
Review article: Retrogressive thaw slump characteristics and terminology
Permafrost Research Section, Alfred Wegener Institute, Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research, Potsdam, 14473, Germany
Institute of Geosciences, University of Potsdam, Potsdam, 14476, Germany
Marina Leibman
Earth Cryosphere Institute, Tyumen Scientific Centre SB RAS, 625026, Tyumen, Russia
Alexander Kizyakov
Cryolithology and Glaciology Department, Faculty of Geography, Lomonosov Moscow State University, 119991, Moscow, Russia
Hugues Lantuit
Permafrost Research Section, Alfred Wegener Institute, Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research, Potsdam, 14473, Germany
Institute of Geosciences, University of Potsdam, Potsdam, 14476, Germany
Ilya Tarasevich
Earth Cryosphere Institute, Tyumen Scientific Centre SB RAS, 625026, Tyumen, Russia
Cryolithology and Glaciology Department, Faculty of Geography, Lomonosov Moscow State University, 119991, Moscow, Russia
Ingmar Nitze
Permafrost Research Section, Alfred Wegener Institute, Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research, Potsdam, 14473, Germany
Alexandra Veremeeva
Permafrost Research Section, Alfred Wegener Institute, Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research, Potsdam, 14473, Germany
Guido Grosse
Permafrost Research Section, Alfred Wegener Institute, Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research, Potsdam, 14473, Germany
Institute of Geosciences, University of Potsdam, Potsdam, 14476, Germany
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Cited
50 citations as recorded by crossref.
- Spatiotemporal Dynamics of Retrogressive Thaw Slumps in the Shulenanshan Region of the Western Qilian Mountains Y. Zhou et al. https://doi.org/10.3390/atmos16040466
- Weekly thermal-hydrologic activation windows of retrogressive thaw slumps: Implications for early warning of slope instability in degrading permafrost regions S. Qi et al. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.enggeo.2026.108890
- Impact of Thermal Denudation on the Formation of Synlithogenic Soils and Development of Ecosystems in the Permafrost Zone A. Ginzburg & A. Lupachev https://doi.org/10.1134/S1064229325602227
- Permafrost Mass Wasting in Ice‐Rich Landscapes: Recent Advances (2013 to 2024) on Mechanisms, Dynamics and Impacts J. Young et al. https://doi.org/10.1002/ppp.70015
- Volumetric quantifications and dynamics of areas undergoing retrogressive thaw slumping in the Northern Hemisphere C. Dai et al. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-025-62017-0
- Rapid increase in West Siberia’s retrogressive thaw slumps since 1964 associated with Arctic winter warming N. Nesterova et al. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-026-56146-9
- Assessment of reanalysis soil temperature products over the pan-Arctic permafrost region with consideration of sub-grid heterogeneity Y. Li et al. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.catena.2025.109587
- Quantifying retrogressive thaw slump mass wasting and carbon mobilisation on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau using multi-modal remote sensing K. Maier et al. https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-19-4855-2025
- Hemispheric-scale mapping of thaw slumps using a cloud-native and transferable deep learning framework P. Lou et al. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.isprsjprs.2026.06.002
- A Collaborative and Scalable Geospatial Data Set for Arctic Retrogressive Thaw Slumps with Data Standards Y. Yang et al. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41597-025-04372-7
- DARTS: Multi-year database of AI-detected retrogressive thaw slumps in the circum-arctic permafrost region I. Nitze et al. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41597-025-05810-2
- Monitoring-constrained GPR inversion reveals profile-scale hydrothermal heterogeneity in a retrogressive thaw slump S. Qi et al. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhydrol.2026.135989
- Retrogressive thaw slumps recognition and occurrence analysis using deep learning with satellite remote sensing in the central Qinghai-Tibet Plateau F. Wu et al. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.geomorph.2024.109581
- Spatiotemporal dynamics of retrogressive thaw slumps on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau: integrating UAV-LiDAR and GPR F. Yu et al. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10346-025-02549-0
- Susceptibility of active-layer detachment failures and vulnerability of infrastructure in Alaska and northwestern Canada E. Makopoulou et al. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10346-025-02603-x
- Analysis of the cooling effect of duct-ventilated embankments with different duct spacings in high-temperature permafrost regions L. Yang et al. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.coldregions.2026.105015
- Thaw slump susceptibility assessment in the central Qinghai–Tibet Plateau permafrost region based on an interpretable 2D-CNN framework with SBAS-InSAR deformation Y. Yang et al. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhydrol.2026.135818
- Climate-driven thaw slump susceptibility on the Qinghai–Tibet Plateau using geographically explainable machine learning H. Zhu et al. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gsf.2026.102384
- Retrogressive failure mechanisms of ice-rich permafrost slopes under thermal disturbance on the Qinghai–Tibet plateau T. Wei et al. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.enggeo.2026.108823
- Vegetation recovery following retrogressive thaw slumps across northern tundra regions Z. Xia et al. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41558-026-02603-2
- Assessment of permafrost subsidence hazards in Arctic settlements using InSAR methods R. Tanguy et al. https://doi.org/10.1080/01431161.2026.2672066
- Another look at Ediacaran rocks and fossils of Charnwood Forest, England G. Retallack https://doi.org/10.54991/jop.2025.1908
- Integrating time-series analysis and deep learning methods to reconstruct the long-term retrogressive thaw slumps dynamics in the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau J. MA et al. https://doi.org/10.1080/15481603.2026.2617753
- Regional assessments of lake shrinkage in response to permafrost thaw and climate change across arctic north American basins: regulating effects of lake geometry H. Cai et al. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.catena.2025.109641
- Unfreezing the past: near Pan-Svalbard assessment of cryospheric hazards to Arctic cultural heritage I. Nicu et al. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2025.180424
- High-resolution inventory and classification of retrogressive thaw slumps in West Siberia N. Nesterova et al. https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-17-5707-2025
- Yamal Peninsula, Permafrost-related Terrain Phenomena: Tabular Ground Ice, Thermocirques and Gas Emission Craters M. Leibman et al. https://doi.org/10.1134/S1028334X25609563
- Microstructure and geochemical properties of modern and buried soils and hosting permafrost sediments of the Batagay retrogressive thaw slump A. Lupachev et al. https://doi.org/10.1017/qua.2024.58
- Temporal assessment of cumulative impacts from interacting disturbances of wildfires and lake-level changes on a small lake in the Western Canadian Arctic R. Pellegrino et al. https://doi.org/10.1139/as-2025-0044
- Characterizing Batagay megaslump topography dynamics and matter fluxes at high spatial resolution using a multidisciplinary approach of permafrost field observations, remote sensing and 3D geological modeling A. Kizyakov et al. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.geomorph.2024.109183
- Permafrost degradation-induced risks for nature-based tourism in the Arctic – case from the Yukon E. Makopoulou & A. Varnajot https://doi.org/10.1007/s10584-025-03942-3
- RTSEvo v1.0: a retrogressive thaw slump evolution model J. Xu et al. https://doi.org/10.5194/gmd-19-2919-2026
- Centimeter-resolution 4D dynamics of retrogressive thaw slumps from repeat UAV photogrammetry on the Tibetan Plateau S. Gao et al. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rse.2026.115262
- Tourism in the Arctic is at risk due to intensifying permafrost degradation A. Varnajot & E. Makopoulou https://doi.org/10.1038/s43247-025-02944-4
- Observed talik development triggers a tipping point in marginal permafrost of the Qinghai-Xizang Plateau D. Luo et al. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gsf.2025.102122
- 热融滑塌形态特征、演化过程和稳定性模拟综述 . Hao Junming et al. https://doi.org/10.3799/dqkx.2025.166
- Retrogressive thaw slumps of Novaya Sibir’ Island (East Siberian Sea): activity increase under unique ground ice conditions A. Kizyakov et al. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.coldregions.2026.104948
- Establishing a robust area-to-volume scaling for Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau Retrogressive Thaw Slumps: A key tool for quantifying mass wasting and carbon release induced by permafrost degradation J. Ma et al. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gloplacha.2025.105012
- A frozen concern? The tourism industry’s perceptions of permafrost degradation in the Arctic A. Varnajot et al. https://doi.org/10.1080/1088937X.2026.2672393
- Geochemical response and benthic recolonization following a sensitive-clay landslide in a subarctic river G. St-Pierre et al. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envres.2026.124400
- Source tracing of enhanced sediment loss and its seasonal shifts in a degrading permafrost catchment J. Su et al. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.catena.2026.110159
- MOCA-Net: A Model for Automatic Segmentation of Retrogressive Thaw Slumps from Sentinel-2 Imagery Along the Qinghai–Tibet Engineering Corridor Y. Li et al. https://doi.org/10.3390/s26103267
- Collapse–subsidence retrogressive thaw slumps in degrading permafrost: multi-source insights from the Northeastern Qinghai–Tibet Plateau S. Qi et al. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10346-026-02695-z
- Retrogressive Thaw Slumps Produce a Changing Disturbance Regime for Arctic Stream Invertebrates M. Dolan et al. https://doi.org/10.1111/gcb.70701
- Machine learning for cryospheric mass movements: challenges and pathways T. Pei et al. https://doi.org/10.1038/s44304-026-00206-7
- Detecting mass wasting of Retrogressive Thaw Slumps in spaceborne elevation models using deep learning K. Maier et al. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jag.2025.104419
- Enhanced Shallow Slope Deformation at Permafrost Degradation Margins Revealed by InSAR and Electrical Resistivity Tomography Y. Zhou et al. https://doi.org/10.3390/app16136535
- Automatic mapping and pattern analysis of retrogressive thaw slumps on the central Tibetan Plateau using deep learning Y. Yuan et al. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11442-025-2411-1
- First retrogressive thaw slump (RTS) inventory for the Kanin Peninsula (NW Russia) I. Nicu et al. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41597-025-05592-7
- Permafrost collapse alters alpine ecosystem development via microtopographic modification on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau X. Men et al. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.catena.2025.109692
50 citations as recorded by crossref.
- Spatiotemporal Dynamics of Retrogressive Thaw Slumps in the Shulenanshan Region of the Western Qilian Mountains Y. Zhou et al. https://doi.org/10.3390/atmos16040466
- Weekly thermal-hydrologic activation windows of retrogressive thaw slumps: Implications for early warning of slope instability in degrading permafrost regions S. Qi et al. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.enggeo.2026.108890
- Impact of Thermal Denudation on the Formation of Synlithogenic Soils and Development of Ecosystems in the Permafrost Zone A. Ginzburg & A. Lupachev https://doi.org/10.1134/S1064229325602227
- Permafrost Mass Wasting in Ice‐Rich Landscapes: Recent Advances (2013 to 2024) on Mechanisms, Dynamics and Impacts J. Young et al. https://doi.org/10.1002/ppp.70015
- Volumetric quantifications and dynamics of areas undergoing retrogressive thaw slumping in the Northern Hemisphere C. Dai et al. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-025-62017-0
- Rapid increase in West Siberia’s retrogressive thaw slumps since 1964 associated with Arctic winter warming N. Nesterova et al. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-026-56146-9
- Assessment of reanalysis soil temperature products over the pan-Arctic permafrost region with consideration of sub-grid heterogeneity Y. Li et al. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.catena.2025.109587
- Quantifying retrogressive thaw slump mass wasting and carbon mobilisation on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau using multi-modal remote sensing K. Maier et al. https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-19-4855-2025
- Hemispheric-scale mapping of thaw slumps using a cloud-native and transferable deep learning framework P. Lou et al. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.isprsjprs.2026.06.002
- A Collaborative and Scalable Geospatial Data Set for Arctic Retrogressive Thaw Slumps with Data Standards Y. Yang et al. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41597-025-04372-7
- DARTS: Multi-year database of AI-detected retrogressive thaw slumps in the circum-arctic permafrost region I. Nitze et al. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41597-025-05810-2
- Monitoring-constrained GPR inversion reveals profile-scale hydrothermal heterogeneity in a retrogressive thaw slump S. Qi et al. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhydrol.2026.135989
- Retrogressive thaw slumps recognition and occurrence analysis using deep learning with satellite remote sensing in the central Qinghai-Tibet Plateau F. Wu et al. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.geomorph.2024.109581
- Spatiotemporal dynamics of retrogressive thaw slumps on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau: integrating UAV-LiDAR and GPR F. Yu et al. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10346-025-02549-0
- Susceptibility of active-layer detachment failures and vulnerability of infrastructure in Alaska and northwestern Canada E. Makopoulou et al. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10346-025-02603-x
- Analysis of the cooling effect of duct-ventilated embankments with different duct spacings in high-temperature permafrost regions L. Yang et al. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.coldregions.2026.105015
- Thaw slump susceptibility assessment in the central Qinghai–Tibet Plateau permafrost region based on an interpretable 2D-CNN framework with SBAS-InSAR deformation Y. Yang et al. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhydrol.2026.135818
- Climate-driven thaw slump susceptibility on the Qinghai–Tibet Plateau using geographically explainable machine learning H. Zhu et al. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gsf.2026.102384
- Retrogressive failure mechanisms of ice-rich permafrost slopes under thermal disturbance on the Qinghai–Tibet plateau T. Wei et al. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.enggeo.2026.108823
- Vegetation recovery following retrogressive thaw slumps across northern tundra regions Z. Xia et al. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41558-026-02603-2
- Assessment of permafrost subsidence hazards in Arctic settlements using InSAR methods R. Tanguy et al. https://doi.org/10.1080/01431161.2026.2672066
- Another look at Ediacaran rocks and fossils of Charnwood Forest, England G. Retallack https://doi.org/10.54991/jop.2025.1908
- Integrating time-series analysis and deep learning methods to reconstruct the long-term retrogressive thaw slumps dynamics in the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau J. MA et al. https://doi.org/10.1080/15481603.2026.2617753
- Regional assessments of lake shrinkage in response to permafrost thaw and climate change across arctic north American basins: regulating effects of lake geometry H. Cai et al. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.catena.2025.109641
- Unfreezing the past: near Pan-Svalbard assessment of cryospheric hazards to Arctic cultural heritage I. Nicu et al. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2025.180424
- High-resolution inventory and classification of retrogressive thaw slumps in West Siberia N. Nesterova et al. https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-17-5707-2025
- Yamal Peninsula, Permafrost-related Terrain Phenomena: Tabular Ground Ice, Thermocirques and Gas Emission Craters M. Leibman et al. https://doi.org/10.1134/S1028334X25609563
- Microstructure and geochemical properties of modern and buried soils and hosting permafrost sediments of the Batagay retrogressive thaw slump A. Lupachev et al. https://doi.org/10.1017/qua.2024.58
- Temporal assessment of cumulative impacts from interacting disturbances of wildfires and lake-level changes on a small lake in the Western Canadian Arctic R. Pellegrino et al. https://doi.org/10.1139/as-2025-0044
- Characterizing Batagay megaslump topography dynamics and matter fluxes at high spatial resolution using a multidisciplinary approach of permafrost field observations, remote sensing and 3D geological modeling A. Kizyakov et al. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.geomorph.2024.109183
- Permafrost degradation-induced risks for nature-based tourism in the Arctic – case from the Yukon E. Makopoulou & A. Varnajot https://doi.org/10.1007/s10584-025-03942-3
- RTSEvo v1.0: a retrogressive thaw slump evolution model J. Xu et al. https://doi.org/10.5194/gmd-19-2919-2026
- Centimeter-resolution 4D dynamics of retrogressive thaw slumps from repeat UAV photogrammetry on the Tibetan Plateau S. Gao et al. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rse.2026.115262
- Tourism in the Arctic is at risk due to intensifying permafrost degradation A. Varnajot & E. Makopoulou https://doi.org/10.1038/s43247-025-02944-4
- Observed talik development triggers a tipping point in marginal permafrost of the Qinghai-Xizang Plateau D. Luo et al. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gsf.2025.102122
- 热融滑塌形态特征、演化过程和稳定性模拟综述 . Hao Junming et al. https://doi.org/10.3799/dqkx.2025.166
- Retrogressive thaw slumps of Novaya Sibir’ Island (East Siberian Sea): activity increase under unique ground ice conditions A. Kizyakov et al. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.coldregions.2026.104948
- Establishing a robust area-to-volume scaling for Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau Retrogressive Thaw Slumps: A key tool for quantifying mass wasting and carbon release induced by permafrost degradation J. Ma et al. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gloplacha.2025.105012
- A frozen concern? The tourism industry’s perceptions of permafrost degradation in the Arctic A. Varnajot et al. https://doi.org/10.1080/1088937X.2026.2672393
- Geochemical response and benthic recolonization following a sensitive-clay landslide in a subarctic river G. St-Pierre et al. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envres.2026.124400
- Source tracing of enhanced sediment loss and its seasonal shifts in a degrading permafrost catchment J. Su et al. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.catena.2026.110159
- MOCA-Net: A Model for Automatic Segmentation of Retrogressive Thaw Slumps from Sentinel-2 Imagery Along the Qinghai–Tibet Engineering Corridor Y. Li et al. https://doi.org/10.3390/s26103267
- Collapse–subsidence retrogressive thaw slumps in degrading permafrost: multi-source insights from the Northeastern Qinghai–Tibet Plateau S. Qi et al. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10346-026-02695-z
- Retrogressive Thaw Slumps Produce a Changing Disturbance Regime for Arctic Stream Invertebrates M. Dolan et al. https://doi.org/10.1111/gcb.70701
- Machine learning for cryospheric mass movements: challenges and pathways T. Pei et al. https://doi.org/10.1038/s44304-026-00206-7
- Detecting mass wasting of Retrogressive Thaw Slumps in spaceborne elevation models using deep learning K. Maier et al. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jag.2025.104419
- Enhanced Shallow Slope Deformation at Permafrost Degradation Margins Revealed by InSAR and Electrical Resistivity Tomography Y. Zhou et al. https://doi.org/10.3390/app16136535
- Automatic mapping and pattern analysis of retrogressive thaw slumps on the central Tibetan Plateau using deep learning Y. Yuan et al. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11442-025-2411-1
- First retrogressive thaw slump (RTS) inventory for the Kanin Peninsula (NW Russia) I. Nicu et al. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41597-025-05592-7
- Permafrost collapse alters alpine ecosystem development via microtopographic modification on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau X. Men et al. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.catena.2025.109692
Saved (final revised paper)
Latest update: 19 Jul 2026
Short summary
Retrogressive thaw slumps (RTSs) are widespread in the Arctic permafrost landforms. RTSs present a big interest for researchers because of their expansion due to climate change. There are currently different scientific schools and terminology used in the literature on this topic. We have critically reviewed existing concepts and terminology and provided clarifications to present a useful base for experts in the field and ease the introduction to the topic for scientists who are new to it.
Retrogressive thaw slumps (RTSs) are widespread in the Arctic permafrost landforms. RTSs present...
