This video shows Matthias Siewert and Gustaf Hugelius sampling permafrost affected soils on Qikiqtaruk–Herschel Island, Canada. First we remove the top organic layer, then we excavate the active layer. Photos are taken and a description of the soil pit is made. Then the active layer is sampled. To sample the permafrost a steel pipe is hammered into the ground. After the sampling is completed we restore the site to leave as little trace as possible. In this case, the entire process took 44 minutes