As global warming accelerates, Canada's northern regions are facing major upheavals. Permafrost, a layer of soil that remains permanently frozen, is undergoing unprecedented changes. The thawing of permafrost compromises soil stability and complicates the construction and maintenance of northern infrastructure, such as homes, roads, and airstrips.

It is becoming essential to find integrative and sustainable solutions for the communities that live there, as well as for building new infrastructure. “We need to plan, assess the impacts, build, and then mitigate the thaw,” explains Professor Pascale Roy-Léveillée of the Department of Geography at Université Laval, a member of the Centre for Northern Studies (CEN). “Planners, engineers, geomorphologists, geocryologists, and ecologists need a common, effective, and precise vocabulary to work together."

To address this need, a Canadian team of multidisciplinary experts in permafrost science and engineering published the reference work Glossary of Permafrost Science and Engineering. Featuring 355 rigorous and accessible definitions, this glossary is available free of charge in electronic format on the Canadian Permafrost Association website. “We are very proud of the bridges we have built through this work!” says Professor Roy-Léveillée, co-author of the glossary.

Several faculty members and former students from theCentre for Northern Studies also contributed to this major work. A simplified, illustrated version, An Illustrated Permafrost Dictionary, raises public awareness of permafrost issues through a visual and educational approach.

This glossary embodies the spirit of collaboration that drives the academic community in addressing the major challenges facing the North.

*This text is a translation of the article originally published in ULaval nouvelles in French.