Polygonal patterns in the permafrost, such as here on Svalbard, are created by a multitude of freezing and thawing processes. So far, it was assumed that this requires time periods of the order of centuries. Photo: Julia Hager Within decades, the strong warming of the...
The American beaver (Castor canadensis) continues to spread in the Alaskan tundra due to climate change. Photo: Becky Matsubara via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 2.0) Beavers are moving further into the tundra as the Arctic warms with their construction activities causing...
Rivers play a vital role connecting land and oceans. Any change in the chemical composition of vast river systems like the Lena in the Russian Arctic, will have an impact on the oceans. Picture: AWI, Bremerhaven. A study published by the University of Florida shows...
Given the rapid warming in the Arctic, the days of permafrost soils such as here on Svalbard seem numbered. Dormant within them are countless microorganisms, including potential pathogens that can be released as the soils thaw. (Photo: Julia Hager) Thawing permafrost...
Ice-wedge polygons spread over the permafrost terrain near Prudhoe Bay on Alaska’s North Slope, are seen from the air on July 17, 2018. Permafrost scientists plan to develop new artificial intelligence-aided technology to track the changes that thaw makes in...