Rain used to be rare in the Arctic, but as the region warms, so-called rain-on-snow events are becoming more common. The rains accelerate ice loss, trigger flooding, landslides, and avalanches, and create problems for wildlife and the Indigenous people who depend on them.
permafrost
Posted inResearch Spotlights
A Better Way to Predict Arctic Riverbank Erosion
Permafrost thaw might cause Arctic riverbanks to erode more quickly. But a new study shows why these erosion rates aren’t as dramatic as some scientists feared.
Posted inResearch Spotlights
Northern Permafrost Region Emits More Greenhouse Gases Than It Captures
Permafrost underlies a quarter of the Northern Hemisphere. A comprehensive analysis shows that the area may have shifted from a sink to a source of greenhouse gases, bringing a longtime prediction to fruition.
Posted inEditors' Highlights
Salty Soil May Release Methane on Mars
Through roving and drilling, Mars Curiosity Rover may be breaking up the ground’s salty, hardened soils that seal methane, possibly causing a temporal, local methane spike.
Posted inNews
Climate Change Is Weakening River Seasonality in the North
Seasonal flow variability is decreasing as climate change alters Earth’s systems, creating challenges for water management.
Posted inResearch Spotlights
Source or Sink? A Review of Permafrost’s Role in the Carbon Cycle
Understanding the role of permanently frozen soil, which covers a large portion of land in the Northern Hemisphere, is crucial to reaching global climate targets.
Posted inFeatures
Как необычная дружба разрушила мифы о вечной мерзлоте
“Прекрасные долгие споры” между американским ученым и российским исследователем помогли прояснить несколько фундаментальных предположений о таянии вечной мерзлоты.
Posted inResearch Spotlights
Минимальные свидетельства наличия углерода вечной мерзлоты в реке Колыме в Сибири
Новое исследование показало, что арктические реки в настоящее время переносят ограниченное количество растворенного органического углерода из вечной мерзлоты, что имеет значение для понимания изменения углеродного цикла в регионе и его потенциальной возможности ускорить изменение климата.
Posted inEditors' Highlights
Northern Ecosystems are Shaped by Snow
Changing climate in the Arctic leads to a shorter snow season but deeper snow in the depths of winter. Under the insulating snow, biological processes are accelerated leading to higher nutrient availability and carbon losses.
Posted inEditors' Highlights
Frozen Riverbanks May Erode Faster in a Warming Arctic
Frozen flume experiments reveal the sensitivity of permafrost riverbank erosion to water temperature, bank roughness, and pore-ice content.