Electromagnetic Induction Measurements near Ny Alesund

Electromagnetic induction is a non-invasive mapping technique used in a variety of applications including geological mapping and civil engineering, agriculture and forestry, environmental monitoring, groundwater protection, mineral exploration and archaeology.  Electromagnetic induction is mainly used to measure the (apparent) electrical conductivity of the subsurface, which depends on various soil properties such as clay content, water content and salinity. The nature and strength of the relationships between electrical conductivity and soil properties are site-specific.

The instrument used, the EM38-MK2, measures both the quadrature (conductivity) and the inphase (magnetic susceptibility) components at two different depths, all at the same time, without the need for ground contact. The aim of the measurements was to improve the understanding of thaw-driven landscape dynamics in permafrost regions and to assess the vulnerability of permafrost to thaw.

The measurements were carried out in August 2023 in the vicinity of the Ny Alesund research station in Svalbard, in particular in the vicinity of the Bayelva long-term observatory site. The data are raw, no processing has been done. A detailed metadata description is available in the pdf format.