The Proceedings of the Eighth International Conference on Permafrost contain an extensive overview of the most recent research in the fields of permafrost science and engineering on a global scale. The 230 contributions portray the rich diversity of permafrost-related research, which is being conducted worldwide. The themes covered include all major scientific, technical and engineering aspects of past and present frozen ground in polar and mountain areas, together with planetary processes. The main topics include the effects of climate change on permafrost, problems related to slope processes in mountain areas, the description of new permafrost detection techniques using remote sensing and geophysics, improving the performance of infrastructure and design in permafrost, the characteristics of subsea permafrost, hydrology and waste management, ecological and environmental aspects in permafrost, the interactions of frozen ground with its surroundings and even some investigations of permafrost features on Mars. The data and theories presented are based on numerical modelling and field experiments and are applied to practical cases. The variety of new techniques and findings discussed in these two volumes reflect the increasing interest in the understanding of permafrost and related phenomena, especially those concerning natural hazards.
