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Changing Permafrost

Arctic tundra is underlain by permafrost, perennially frozen ground which stores methane and carbon dioxide. But in our changing world, the Arctic is warming twice as fast as the rest of the globe. As permafrost thaws the land above can fail, forming thermokarst features, sinkholes and landslides. In these videos geophysical researchers track permafrost changes to better understand the implications of this transformation.

Arctic Permafrost and Climate Change

According to Vladimir Romanovsky, Geophysics professor at the University of Alaska Fairbanks, the most common definition of permafrost is any material below ground which is at or below 0 degrees Celsius for two or more years consecutively.

Collapsed permafrost block of coastal tundra on Alaska’s Arctic Coast / Courtesy USGS Alaska Science Center
Collapsed permafrost block of coastal tundra on Alaska’s Arctic Coast / Courtesy USGS Alaska Science Center

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