Das Projekt "Measuring and modelling of the energy fluxes in the permafrost active layer (Thermal offset)" wird vom Umweltbundesamt gefördert und von Universität Zürich, Geographisches Institut durchgeführt. The spatial distribution patterns of mountain permafrost is important because of the sensitivity of the upper permafrost layers with respect to decadal climatic changes. In high mountain areas, large variations of topography and thus, permafrost-related factors such as snow cover and the heterogeneity of surface material requires a form of spatial modelling to achieve a realistic picture of permafrost occurrences. Both in the Alps and the Scandinavian Mountains we have realised that knowledge of the thermal fluxes within the active layer is essential for a better understanding of the actual distribution of permafrost. Especially in view to climate change, the coupling of atmosphere with ground thermal models is only possible by an impoved understanding of the processes within the active layer. This project seeks to establish a network of ten shallow bore holes in the Eastern Swiss Alps, measuring the thermal regime in the active layer ('thermal offset'). The application of the thermal offset concept allows the distributed mapping of the mean annual top permafrost temperature, which allows us to estimate spatially distributed permafrost depths by applying standard heat conduction theory. This permits quantitatively better estimates for evaluating impact of climate warming on permafrost distribution in high-alpine environments. This project is carried out in close co-operation with the University of Oslo, Norway.