Introducing the New Global Terrestrial Network for Permafrost (GTN-P) Database – the Primary Data Repository for the Permafrost Essential Climate Variable (ECV)

Permafrost regions occupy almost one quarter of the Northern Hemisphere land area and store a globally relevant carbon pool in permafrost soils. As a consequence of global warming, permafrost is also warming at a global scale, leading to destabilization of landscapes and infrastructure as well as mobilizing previously freeze-locked soil carbon and releasing the greenhouse gases methane and carbon dioxide to the atmosphere. Long-term observation data are needed in order to understand how permafrost responds to a warming climate and how much greenhouse gas contributions from thawing permafrost we can expect in the future.

The Global Terrestrial Network for Permafrost (GTN-P) is the primary international programme concerned with sustained long-term monitoring of the state of permafrost. Members of the GTN-P community from more than 30 countries collect permafrost borehole temperature and active layer data across diverse permafrost regions and contribute them to the GTN-P data platform. The previous management system and web portal was developed in 2015 and is now technically outdated, requiring the establishment of a new system. Based on community input and under guidance of the GTN-P Steering Committee of the IPA, the new GTN-P database is being developed in the Permafrost Research Section of the Alfred Wegener Institute. Designed as the primary community platform for sharing data collected by a large and diverse network of researchers and institutions, it provides access to global information on permafrost data acquisition sites and data availability, while data ownership is retained with the original providers. 

The new GTN-P database provides data for the two Permafrost ECV products Permafrost Temperature (PT) and Active Layer Thickness (ALT) with the potential to add additional products such as Rock Glacier Velocity (RGV). When designing the new system, special attention was paid to ensure a clear and self-explanatory user interface. As a central access point, it provides a platform for the scientific community to explore data availability and standardized metadata, as well as visualize temperature and depth time series. Data downloads are offered in different formats and for different levels of aggregation, e.g. for individual time series, PT boreholes, ALT sites and research sites. A new feature of the data platform will be an annual global compilation product of all available data, which includes co-authorship by all contributors. Special data products synthesizing the monitoring data will also be made available. Existing collaborations with the WMO will be used to establish a consolidated permafrost data profile, which will be aligned with internationally recognized data standards. These conventions will form the basis for better meeting the ‘interoperability’ and ‘reusability’ aspects of the FAIR Data Principles. For data providers, the upload capabilities have been streamlined and are coupled with an automated quality check that provides intermediate feedback during the upload. Building on the existing, well-established IT infrastructure at AWI, the new GTN-P data system is guaranteed long-term availability.