Articles | Volume 20, issue 9
https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-20-5303-2026
© Author(s) 2026. 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-20-5303-2026
© Author(s) 2026. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Research article
| 
21 Sep 2026
Research article |
| 21 Sep 2026
| 21 Sep 2026
The history of ground ice formation and intra-permafrost fluid flow as documented by Ra and Th isotopes
Dotan Rotem
CORRESPONDING AUTHOR
Department of Environment, Planning and Sustainability, Bar-Ilan University, Ramat-Gan, 529002, Israel
Yishai Weinstein
Department of Environment, Planning and Sustainability, Bar-Ilan University, Ramat-Gan, 529002, Israel
Yehudit Harlavan
Geological Survey of Israel, 32 Yesha'yahu Leibowitz, Jerusalem, 9692100, Israel
Adi Torfstein
Institute of Earth Sciences, Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem, 9190400, Israel
The Interuniversity Institute for Marine Sciences, Eilat, 8810302, Israel
Hanne Hvidtfeldt Christiansen
Department of Environmental Science, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark
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Short summary
We investigated the residence time of ground ice in the Svalbard permafrost. Marked variations in salinity and the chemical composition were found in three proximal cores. Radioactive Ra and Th isotopes suggest that while some ice has a residence time of several thousands years, the more saline samples show lower long-to-short-lived Ra ratios, implying a residence time under 100 years. This indicates active within-permafrost flow, which highlights the system's resilience to global warming.
We investigated the residence time of ground ice in the Svalbard permafrost. Marked variations...
