inphotech logotype fixed wh inphotech logotype fixed wh
pl

From Photonics to the Arctic: InPhoTech Technology Supports Permafrost Research

From Photonics to the Arctic: InPhoTech Technology Supports Permafrost Research

Fibre-optic technology developed through the InPhoTech-led SPILOD project was tested on Svalbard to monitor ground temperature. A scientific publication describing the approach was subsequently nominated for the 2024 Frontiers Planet Prize.

A fibre-optic sensing system developed through SPILOD, a research project led by InPhoTech, has demonstrated a new way to observe ground temperature in Arctic conditions.

InPhoTech worked with Maria Curie-Skłodowska University in Lublin and the Institute of Agrophysics of the Polish Academy of Sciences on an autonomous optical system for ground-temperature measurement. The consortium brought together expertise in photonics, environmental science and soil research.

Field research at Calypsostranda, Svalbard, explored the use of fibre-optic sensors to study temperature changes in the ground and the active layer above permafrost. Unlike conventional systems based on widely separated measurement points, the approach captures detailed temperature information along the sensing fibre.

The research team demonstrated a depth-related spatial resolution of 5 cm using optical frequency-domain reflectometry (OFDR). This higher level of detail can help researchers follow changes in the seasonal thawing and freezing of soil and improve the evidence available for studying permafrost degradation.

The results were published in 2023 in the peer-reviewed journal Land Degradation & Development. In February 2024, Maria Curie-Skłodowska University reported that the paper had been nominated for the Frontiers Planet Prize through the Polish selection process.

For InPhoTech, SPILOD shows how advanced photonic sensing can support environmental observation as well as applications in industry and infrastructure.

Further reading

SPILOD (project No POIR.04.01.01-00-0031/19-00) was supported by the European Regional Development Fund and Poland’s National Centre for Research and Development.