Adapting Arctic Military and Cold-Region Infrastructure to Accelerating Climate Change: A 25-Year Bibliometric and Six-Nation Comparative Review

Amid accelerating Arctic warming-occurring at nearly four times the global rate-cold-region infrastructure faces escalating risks from permafrost thaw, sea-level rise, and compound climate stressors. This study presents a 25-year (2001-2026) review combining bibliometric analysis with a six-nation comparative synthesis to evaluate infrastructure vulnerability, engineering adaptation strategies, and policy implementation gaps. A dataset of 1,077 Web of Science records is analyzed using VOSviewer to map thematic evolution, while detailed case comparisons across the United States, Canada, Russia, Norway, Greenland (Denmark), and China identify tested engineering practices. The findings reveal a rapidly expanding but unevenly applied knowledge base, with research concentrated on high-elevation permafrost and largely disconnected from Arctic policy and military infrastructure contexts. While multiple nations have developed coherent design philosophies-emphasizing passive cooling, ventilated foundations, geohazard-informed siting, and climate-scenario-based design-the United States remains comparatively reactive, lacking systematic adoption of these approaches. The study concludes that the primary barrier to resilience is not the absence of technical solutions but the gap between knowledge and implementation. These insights underscore the need for integrated, forward-looking design frameworks applicable not only to Arctic infrastructure but also to climate-vulnerable built environments more broadly.