Swiss Permafrost Monitoring Network (PERMOS)

The aim of the Swiss Permafrost Monitoring Network (PERMOS) is the sytematic long-term documentation of state and changes of mountain permafrost in the Swiss Alps. Long-term trends cannot be assessed from a snapshot and sound conclusions on the state and changes of climate and the environment are only possible based on regular and standardized measurements of key variables over long time periods. In addition to change detection a monitoring network contributes to improving process understanding, putting into perspective individual measurements, providing a basis for decision makers, and validating models.