This book provides a comprehensive review of drilling technologies in the polar regions, from the portable drilling equipment for shallow sampling and coring, to heavy drilling equipment for deep onshore and offshore drilling. Particular attention is given to safe drilling methods in permafrost. In recent years, interest in drilling in the polar regions has increased under the pressure of the geopolitical “rush” and the undiscovered resource potential. In addition, borehole monitoring of permafrost thermal states is urgently needed to obtain evidence of climate change. The book focuses on the latest drilling technologies but also discusses the historical development of sampling, and drilling tools and devices, over the last 60–70 years providing valuable insights into a way forward and future possibilities.

A geophysical control site consisting of 27 holes drilled in permafrost and cased with ABS pipe has been completed near the USACRREL permafrost tunnel at Fox, Alaska. The site provides excellent control on a range of material types in permafrost terrain including frozen silt, gravel, bedrock, and all common ground-ice types such as wedge, lens, and pore ice. The holes delineate massive ground-ice features of which there is no surface manifestation. Ground temperature data is available from a small-diameter glycol-filled hole. This report describes the site, its preparation, and the soil logs and data obtained. Keywords: Drilling equipment; Ground-ice; Ground temperature.