To gain new understanding in this context a total of 19 drill cores complemented by one natural exposure reaching depths below surface between 5 and 25 m was studied, corresponding to sampling heights between 74 m above sea level and 4 m below sea level. The drill transect stretches along about 20 km from the marine terraces at the Isfjorden, along the Grønfjorden and the Grøndalen and Iradalen valleys in the wider area of Barentsburg. Detailed cryolithological descriptions, hydrochemical and sedimentological analyses, and radiocarbon dating were applied to deduce the spatial and temporal evolution of regional permafrost after deglaciation and sea-level adjustment.