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Permafrost has been rapidly warming and degrading in most mountain and polar regions, with far-reaching and long-term implications for both natural and anthropogenic environments. In this context of rapid change and significant socio-economic impacts, increased scrutiny from society and growing demand for reliable data from stakeholders make permafrost monitoring a timely and highly relevant field of research.

Documenting, analysing, and assessing the response of permafrost to climate change requires fundamental cross-disciplinary and cross-geographic knowledge, which can only be achieved through coordinated and standardised monitoring activities.

For years, European research groups have led operational and innovative permafrost monitoring activities, but they have not further coordinated their activities or established widely accepted standards for data acquisition and processing.

The PermaCOST Action aims to bring together European permafrost researchers, stakeholders, and practitioners with expertise in various measurement techniques and permafrost conditions to work towards coordinated and standardised monitoring of permafrost response to climate change.

Through this network of experts and early career researchers, the Action will specifically (1) identify key novel permafrost monitoring methods, (2) homogenise permafrost data acquisition standards, (3) homogenise permafrost data processing standards, (4) assess the state and evolution of permafrost in Europe, and (5) promote the development of operational permafrost monitoring networks at national, regional, and European scales.