New research finds that Arctic rivers currently transport limited permafrost-derived dissolved organic carbon, which has implications for understanding the region’s changing carbon cycle—and its potential to accelerate climate change.
Permafrost
Posted inResearch Spotlights
Ice Lenses May Cause Many Arctic Landslides
When permafrost thaw reaches concentrations of ice underneath the surface, it may trigger local soil instability.
Posted inOpinions
Chile’s Glacier Protection Law Needs Grounding in Sound Science
In the works for more than a decade, proposed legislation to protect glacial and permafrost environments in Chile suffers from uncertainties and omissions that could sow conflict instead of solutions.
Posted inEditors' Highlights
A 2700-year Record of Permafrost Thaw Sensitivity to Climate
Changes in the 14C ages of carbon and biomarkers deposited at the mouth of a river draining a permafrost watershed track responses of regional thaw depth to past warming and cooling.
Posted inNews
A Massive Methane Reservoir Is Lurking Beneath the Sea
Scientists have found a methane reservoir below the permafrost seabed of the Laptev Sea—a reservoir that could suddenly release large amounts of the potent greenhouse gas.
Posted inNews
Mapping the People, Places, and Problems of Permafrost Thaw
By combining demography data with permafrost maps, researchers provide a first count of the population on permafrost and predict its imminent decline.
Posted inNews
Vicuña Poop Nourishes “Dung Gardens” High in the Andes
The excrement delivers nutrients like phosphorus and nitrogen, kick-starting islands of vegetation at the edge of the cryosphere.
Posted inEditors' Highlights
Thawing Permafrost May Cause Streams to Cool
Permafrost thawing associated with climate warming increases contributions to streamflow by deeper, cooler groundwater flow paths, which may result in lower summer stream temperatures.
Posted inNews
Wildfires Trigger Long-Term Permafrost Thawing
Researchers used satellite data to trace ground subsidence in a permafrost-rich region in eastern Siberia following a wildfire.
Posted inNews
Experiments Reveal How Permafrost Carbon Becomes Carbon Dioxide
Field samples from Alaska show how sunlight and iron convert permafrost carbon to carbon dioxide. Climate models ignore this process.