Publish at October 08 2025 Updated October 08 2025
As permafrost thaws in northern regions, it loses its meaning as "permanently frozen ground". This thaw is accompanied by hundreds of phenomena that need to be named.
For example, the term "drunken forest" characterizes a forest whose trees are tilted in different directions as a result of the irregular melting of the water- and ice-laden permafrost beneath the surface layer. Called the "active layer", this layer freezes and thaws for a few days or weeks each year. The colder the climate, the thinner the active layer.
The talik is an intermediate layer between the active layer and the permafrost, whose temperature is above zero but does not vary throughout the year. The thickness of the talik indicates the degradation of the permafrost and the consequences that will follow: altered drainage, soil instability, release of methane and CO2, effects on flora and fauna, damage to infrastructure and so on.
Those who study the North need to agree on terms to name the same things with the same words. "Aufels", "Freezeback", "Frost blister", hundreds of terms reflect the wide variety of phenomena and observations of scientists and natives.
A Canadian team of multidisciplinary experts in permafrost science and engineering has published this interesting reference work: Glossary of Permafrost Science and Engineering.
Containing 355 rigorous and accessible definitions, this glossary is available free of charge in electronic form on the Canadian Permafrost Association website.
An illustrated version is also available as a free download.
An Illustrated Permafrost Dictionary
https://www.permafrost.org/wp-content/uploads/Dictionary-final-20240606.pdf
Glossary of Permafrost Science and Engineering
https://canadianpermafrostassociation.ca/userContent/documents//9780772711823.pdf
References
Canadian Permafrost Association - https://canadianpermafrostassociation.ca/D-Accueil.htm
For the article: A glossary to better understand permafrost in a changing North
https://nouvelles.ulaval.ca/2025/10/06/un-glossaire-pour-mieux-comprendre-le-pergelisol-dans-un-nord-en-changement-2fd740ac-b261-4e67-8f1b-e38fdbfa8a48
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