The modification of arctic permafrost coastlines [Elektronische Ressource] / von Hugues Lantuit

Alfred-Wegener-Institut für Polar- und Meeresforschung Universität Potsdam, Institut für Geowissenschaften The modification of arctic permafrost coastlines Dissertation zur Erlangung des akademischen Grades "doctor rerum naturalium" (Dr. rer. nat.) in der Wissenschaftsdisziplin Geowissenschaften eingereicht an der Mathematisch-Naturwissenschaftlichen Fakultät der Universität Potsdam von Hugues Lantuit Potsdam, den 14.01.2008 Online published at the Institutional Repository of the Potsdam University: http://opus.kobv.de/ubp/volltexte/2008/1973/ urn:nbn:de:kobv:517-opus-19732 [http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:kobv:517-opus-19732] "When the past no longer illuminates the future, the spirit walks in darkness." Alexis de Tocqueville i ABSTRACT The arctic region is undergoing the most rapid environmental change experienced on Earth, and the rate of change is expected to increase over the coming decades. Arctic coasts are particularly vulnerable because they lie at the interface between terrestrial systems dominated by permafrost and marine systems dominated by sea ice.