Thick, fluffy snow traps summer’s heat in the top layers of Arctic permafrost even as winter chills the air above. Grazing animals stomp that snow flat.
permafrost
Posted inResearch Spotlights
Where Does the Carbon Go When Permafrost Coasts Erode?
Arctic coastlines have not been considered carefully in carbon cycles for long, but new research suggests that eroding permafrost may emit more greenhouse gases than previously thought.
Posted inEditors' Highlights
Permafrost Thaws Rapidly as Arctic River Flooding Increases
As climate warms, Arctic rivers carry higher flows and flood earlier in the spring, causing underlying permafrost to thaw rapidly.
Posted inNews
The Permafrost Listeners
Geophysicists have discovered a way to monitor permafrost thaw by measuring seismic waves so gentle they don’t shake a thing.
Posted inResearch Spotlights
How Nitrogen Contributes to Permafrost Carbon Dynamics
Nitrogen released into the soil from thawing permafrost in the Arctic could accelerate soil carbon decomposition and alter carbon dynamics, with global implications.
Posted inScience Updates
A Modeling Toolbox for Permafrost Landscapes
A new resource makes it easier for researchers to explore predictions of how melting permafrost might affect carbon release, wetlands, and river deltas as they evolve and other interacting effects.
Posted inResearch Spotlights
A Deeper Understanding of Carbon Decomposition in Arctic Soils
Physical parameters may help scientists extrapolate Arctic carbon soil losses from the local to the regional scale, according to the results of a yearlong incubation experiment.
Posted inResearch Spotlights
Carbon Release from Permafrost Erosion Along the Yukon Coast
New findings highlight the need to account for large amounts of ground ice contained in frozen soil when assessing Arctic carbon cycling.
Posted inScience Updates
Understanding High-Latitude Methane in a Warming Climate
Climate change could spur greenhouse gas release from the Arctic. A new project will synthesize existing data to improve uncertain predictions.
Posted inNews
Airborne Surveys Examine Water Levels of Lakes Perched on Permafrost
Do water levels in high-latitude Canadian lakes fluctuate as one body or as separate entities? The answer could reveal clues to how melting permafrost influences the environment.