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This paper describes the foundations of the periglacial concept beginning from the introduction of this term by Łoziński in 1909 and 1912. Its etymology along with the meaning and definitions that change over time are analysed in the present paper. Originally derived from geology, periglacial now functions as a geomorphological term. It has been compared with other terms used in the characterisation of cold geographical environments; the role of freezing and ice has been especially emphasised for periglaciology, and the most important types of ice have been highlighted. The present paper aims to show that with the increasing specialisation of research and the evolution of the meaning of the term periglacial, it is still seen as playing an important integrating role. The relation of the periglacial environment and ice to the glacial environment is also presented, showing the places of mutual overlapping of both environments. Old and newly introduced terms related to this concept such as periglacial facies, periglacial landscape, paraglacial, and cryo-conditioning are critically assessed. Finally, a short description of the permafrost in Poland, occurring in two remote and specific places, is presented: the active mountain permafrost covering the alpine belt of the Tatra Mountains about 1900 m a.s.l. and the relict permafrost in the Suwałki area, located in the northern lowland of Poland at a depth of 357 m and below.

The Antarctic continent is a crucial area for ultimate determination of permafrost extent on Earth, and its solution depends on the theoretical assumptions adopted. In fact, it ranges from 0.022 × 106 to 14 × 106 km2. This level of inaccuracy is unprecedented in the Earth sciences. The novelty of the present study consists in determining the extent of Antarctic permafrost not based exclusively on empirical studies but on universal criteria resulting from the definition of permafrost as the thermal state of the lithosphere, which was applied for the first time to this continent. The area covered by permafrost in Antarctica is ca. 13.9 million km2, that is its entire surface. This result was also made possible due to the first clear determination of the boundaries and area of the continent. The Antarctic area includes (a) rocky subsurface with (b) continental ice‐sheets and (c) shelf glaciers, which, due to their terrigenous origin and belonging to the lithosphere, belongs to the continent in the same way. Antarctica is covered by continuous permafrost, either in a frozen or in a cryotic state. This also significantly influences delimitation of the global extent of permafrost, which can therefore be defined much more accurately. The proposed ice reclassification and its transfer from the hydrosphere to the lithosphere will allow the uniform treatment of ice in the Earth sciences, both on Earth and on other celestial bodies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article reports the results of fieldwork carried out on the peak of Babia Gora to verify a hypothesis regarding the existence of permafrost at this location. The climate and geomorphological evolution of this area suggest that both past and current frost processes play an important role here. Furthermore, not far from this massif – in the Tatra Mts – permafrost was detected at an altitude of ca. 2000 m a.s.l., in an area where mean annual air temperature (MAAT) drops to minus 0.8°C. The MAAT at the summit of Babia Gora is likewise below 0°C. Given that long-term freezing of the massif in the glacial period reached down to considerable depths, the climatic evolution of the massif indicates that permafrost could have lasted through to the present time. In the study area three resistivity profiles were made using the resistivity imaging method. Two of these were 300 m long and one 400 m. The depth of interpretation extends to approx. 90 m below the ground surface in the last case. While the results of the geophysical surveys do not confirm the presence of permafrost in the study area unambiguously, its presence may not be precluded in certain places in the shallow subsurface layer. The permafrost originating in older geological periods and located at greater depth was probably exposed to relatively rapid degradation, given the geological structure of Babia Góra allowing for deep water drainage. Resistivity models shows the geological structure of the research area close to the summit of Babia Góra, but do not resolve the issue of the existence of modern or fossil permafrost. The temperature of the water in springs located close to the summit is almost constant, though, and does not exceed 1°C. This shows that water circulation is a relatively deep one, and the temperature within the massif cannot therefore be higher than this. The existence of permafrost is not therefore precluded, and this might be possible in the form of the cryotic state. The measurements made present only the first approach to the hypothesis regarding the possible existence of permafrost on Babia Góra, and further research applying other, complementary methods may still change views on this subject. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Since Earth sciences have undertaken studies of other celestial bodies, its various fields have moved beyond the scope of study assigned to them by name. Interest in space makes it necessary to abandon research geocentrism and reverse relations when comparing the structure of the Earth with other celestial bodies. As an exceptional place in the universe, it should not be the Earth which constitutes a reference point, especially in cryospheric research, but rather the other celestial bodies of our planetary system. This approach, referred to as "Spatial Uniformitarianism," is the basis for determining the place of ice in the environment and for assigning it to the lithosphere. Ice can be penetrated by frost just as other minerals and rocks, so the occurrence of permafrost may yet be attributed to glaciers and ice-caps. In the article, the occurrence of glacial permafrost has been worked out on the basis of a thermal classification of glaciers with a thorough understanding of the phenomenon. This allows us to specify permafrost's presence beneath glaciers and ice-caps, a concept which had been needlessly vague. Further, by considering rock glaciers as a mixture of two types of rocks, and by understanding the importance of movement in their evolution, we are now closer to fruitfully determining their role in the environment, their geomorphological significance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The most common study of the occurrence of permafrost in the world concerns one layer in the lithosphere inside which the temperature is equal to or lower than 0 ° C. Like other components of the cryosphere, Permafrost reacts to climatic changes that register in its thermal characteristics. This causes that the temperature course in the permafrost profile is nonlinear, and in specific locations two layers of permafrost can be separated by talik. Such a situation is known for its occurrence in West Siberia. However, climate changes are similar in both the Arctic and Alpine permafrost. ERT research conducted in the Tarfala area, in the forefield of the Storglaciären, show two high-resistance anomalies separated by a layer of lower resistance. The results of electro resistivity surveys together with previous published results indicate that two layers of permafrost can be distinguished also in the Storglaciären forefield and probably in Tarfala valley as well. The shallower, discountinuous layer, with thickness ca. 2–6 meters is connected to the current climate, Deeper located second layer, separated with talik, must be significantly older. Its thickness can reach dozens of metres and its existence is probably the result of permafrost formation during early Holocene or even Pleistocene epoch. The occurrence of two-layered permafrost in the Tarfala valley shows that the evolution of mountain permafrost may be seen as analogous to that in Western Siberia. This means that the effect of climate changes gives a similar results in permafrost formation and evolution in both altitudinal and latitudinal extent. The occurrence of two-layered permafrost in Scandes and Western Siberia plain indicates possible analogy in climatic evolution, and gives opportunity to understand them in uniform way. The existence of a two-layer permafrost in the mountain environment of the Scandinavian Mountains should be included in the models that are developed by other authors. Funded by National Science Center (NCN) Poland, UMO-2016/21/B/ST10/02509 Institute of Geophysics PAN and UMO-2012/07/B/ST10 /04268 University of Silesia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• First recognition of the bottom of permafrost in Hornsund, Svalbard. • Estimation of the shape of the permafrost. • The hypothesis about coastal permafrost. • Geophysical research reveals variable thickness of the permafrost. • Research reveals geological construction of Fuglebekken catchment. The areas covered by permafrost in the polar regions are vulnerable to rapid changes in the current climate. The well-studied near-surface active layer and permafrost zone are in contrast to the unknown exact shape of the bottom permafrost boundary. Therefore, the entire shape of permafrost between the upper and lower boundaries is not identified with sufficient accuracy. Since most of the factors affecting deep cryotic structures are subsurface in nature, their evolution in deeper layers is also relatively unclear. Here, we propose a hypothesis based on the results of geophysical studies regarding the shape of the permafrost in the coastal area of Svalbard, Southern Spitsbergen. In the article, we emphasize the importance of recognizing not only the uppermost active layer but also the bottom boundary of permafrost along with its transition zone, due to the underestimated potential role of its continuity in observing climate change. The lower permafrost boundary is estimated to range from 70 m below the surface in areas close to the shore to 180 m inland, while a continuous layer of an entirely frozen matrix can be identified with a thickness between 40 m and 100 m. We also hypothesized the presence of the possible subsea permafrost in the Hornsund. The influence of seawater intrusions, isostatic uplift of deglaciated areas, and surface-related processes that affect permafrost evolution may lead to extensive changes in the hydrology and geology of the polar regions in the future. For all these reasons, monitoring, geophysical imaging and understanding the characteristics and evolution of deep permafrost structures requires global attention and scientific efforts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]