First retrogressive thaw slump (RTS) inventory for the Kanin Peninsula (NW Russia)

Retrogressive thaw slumps (RTS) are thermokarst landforms resulting from the thawing of ice-rich permafrost in the pan-Arctic and high mountain regions, recognized as climate-related phenomena. Using 2022 ESRI Wayback satellite imagery, we manually digitized 900 RTS polygons on the Kanin Peninsula (NW Russia), categorizing them into 633 inactive and 267 active features based on morphology and vegetation patterns. The primary goal was not to create a complete RTS inventory but to develop a highly representative dataset for training machine learning models to automatically detect and classify RTS into active and inactive categories. This approach will facilitate regional-scale monitoring of permafrost degradation and enhance understanding of RTS impacts, including their effects on indigenous Nenets reindeer herders’ travel routes. By classifying RTS polygons into morphologically active and inactive features, this dataset aims to enable ongoing analysis of change patterns over time, offering critical insights in the current climate context.