Degrading permafrost and its impacts

Abstract Permafrost presents extensively on the land surface and it is degrading under the combined influences of warming climate and human activities. The degrading permafrost will post profound impacts in hydrology, ecology, engineered infrastructures, and socioeconomic development. In order to better adapt to these changing permafrost environments, we need to better understand permafrost degradation and its impacts, as well as to timely develop predicting capabilities and adaptive strategies and mitigative measures. However, due to the remoteness of permafrost regions, low density of population and observational networks, and paucity of measured data, our understanding on degrading permafrost and its various impacts is still limited. This Special Issue of Degrading Permafrost and Its Impacts, as a proceed of the forthcoming 12 th International Conference on Permafrost, collects seven papers on permafrost environments and engineering in a timely manner, in order to reflect the latest progress in this chosen topic. This Special Issue on Degrading Permafrost aims at facilitating the studies on the adaptive and sustainable development of the permafrost environment and human society under a warming climate.