MELTING OF PERMAFROST & ITS IMPACT ON THE CLIMATE

CRYSTAL CLEAR

As the temperatures on Earth continue to rise, it can no longer be said for certain that frozen ground in the Arctic will remain frozen permanently. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) released its Sixth Assessment Report last year, and it notes that it is still unknown how much deterioration of so-called permafrost would affect climate change. Researchers are left with an unsettling void in their climate projections due to the unpredictability.₁

Sometimes lasting for thousands of years, permafrost is a layer of ground ice that is solid year-round. Arctic regions commonly have permafrost, but it can be found everywhere the average annual temperature is below freezing.₂ However, what consequences will the thawing of permafrost have? Although melting sea ice is the first thing that comes to mind when thinking about global warming, permafrost should also be taken into account.

In light of the fact that the Arctic is warming, which poses a threat to the stability of long-frozen soil layers, this is an unfortunate question that we must address today. Protecting arctic habitats, lowering carbon emissions, and giving scientists access to valuable research material are all benefits of maintaining permafrost. 

So, what is permafrost? Simply put, the term "permafrost" refers to a layer of permanently frozen earth. The frozen layer may be on the soil's surface or below a layer of unfrozen soil. Permafrost can even be found submerged in lakes and oceans. Soil, gravel, boulders, and sand are locked together by ice all year long to form this structure.₃ About 1.5 trillion metric tons of organic carbon, or twice as much as Earth's atmosphere currently holds₄, are stored in the permafrost that covers a fourth of the Northern Hemisphere's land.₃ Most of this carbon comes from dead organisms that have been preserved for hundreds of thousands of years in the soil's icy depths.

by Abrar Hasanat

Why Is Permafrost Important?

Polar ecosystems rely heavily on permafrost, and it also plays a significant impact in global climate conditions by reducing the rate of climate change.₅ Permafrost, however, has effects on more than just the weather; it's a fantastic tool for researchers trying to piece together Earth's biological past. It helps climate scientists investigate and predict changes in the world's climate by providing a baseline against which to compare future observations.

Let's analyze the significance of permafrost.

Protecting Tundra Ecosystems

The permafrost serves as the ecosystem's foundation in tundra environments. Plants and animals in the Arctic have adapted to the regular freeze-thaw cycles that this phenomenon helps to create. Many plant species can't thrive in its presence, except those that have adapted to survive in extreme environments. Because of the permafrost, life on the tundra is stable and predictable. It is essential to protect permafrost in order to maintain Earth's rich biodiversity.₆

The ecosystem of the tundra is rapidly shifting as permafrost thaws as a result of global warming. Non-native plant and animal species have expanded their range northward into tundra regions, increasing the level of competition within these ecosystems. In addition, the lack of permafrost can radically alter the landscape, leading to erosion and the depletion of lakes.₇

Preventing Global Warming

The tundra landscapes that result from permafrost are one way that Earth helps to keep atmospheric carbon levels in check. Permafrost prevents the decay of plant and animal debris by freezing them, therefore reducing annual greenhouse gas emissions. The soil in the world's tundra accounts for around half of the planet's total organic carbon. More and more thawing permafrost, however, means more and more decay of previously frozen organic stuff. This suggests that the carbon sink function of the tundra environment is being replaced by that of a carbon source.₇

Providing Access to Biological History

The remains of plants and animals from Earth's history can be studied because of permafrost. Frozen sedimentary layers protect ancient life forms from degradation, allowing researchers to study nearly intact fossils. Science has been able to preserve specimens and soil samples containing DNA thanks to permafrost's remarkable ability to prevent decomposition.₈

Is Permafrost Melting?

Polar and high-altitude locations are particularly vulnerable to climate change. According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), the Arctic is warming at a rate that has not been seen in at least the last 2,000 years. The average annual surface temperature in 2016 was 3.5 degrees Celsius higher than it had been at the turn of the 20th century. That year saw the highest recorded permafrost temperatures in the Arctic.₉

When the permafrost in a region thaws, there is nothing to prevent the lakes in that area from losing their water supply. The permafrost ice that forms lakes in the tundra keeps those lakes permanently frozen because it acts as a barrier that prevents water from leaking through. However, as permafrost continues to degrade, underground drainages grow larger, and scientists have begun to witness the disappearance of lakes that, in some cases, are the size of many square miles.₇

Distinct alterations to the terrain are other indicators of permafrost thaw. Without the stabilizing effect of permafrost, hillsides have become unstable and landslides of soil and plants have begun to give way. As the Arctic experiences warmer and longer summers, the number of recorded land surface modifications has increased as a result of permafrost. In Siberia, these modifications have increased by 300% in the past two decades.₇

Risks of Permafrost Thawing

Global Warming

Much of the soil in permafrost regions contain plant matter that is rich in carbon and is ready to be broken down once the soil thaws. Due to global warming, permafrost has thawed, allowing bacteria to begin decomposing the plant remains in the soil. Microbes release carbon dioxide and methane into the air as they digest all the carbon-rich materials. The feedback loop between the worsening condition of permafrost and the global temperature as a result of the increase in these greenhouse gases is, thus, not a good one.₁₀

Releasing Bacteria and Viruses

The melting of the permafrost is like discovering a time capsule from long ago. Viral and bacterial strains that are resistant to antibiotics may have been present in the past but have since been forgotten. It is possible for these viruses to enter the water discharge as the permafrost thaws.

More than a hundred different types of bacteria that are resistant to antibiotics were discovered in the deep permafrost layers of Siberia. Due to the permafrost thawing, Siberia experienced an anthrax outbreak in 2016 “killing thousands of reindeer and affecting dozens of humans”.₁₁ The dangers of germs and viruses breaking out of permafrost ice are illustrated by this anthrax outbreak.₁₁

Heavy metals leaching into food supplies

The amount of mercury stored in Arctic permafrost—over 15 million gallons—is greater than that contained in all of the world's soil, water, and air put together. This mercury is being released as the permafrost continues to melt, and it has the potential to pollute ecosystems all across the world.₁₂

How to solve the Melting of the Arctic's Permafrost

The easiest approach to prevent the thawing of permafrost is for all countries to work together to combat global warming. The permafrost thaw is a result of the worldwide problem of global warming. The rate at which permafrost thaws can be reduced if the global community works together to combat climate change. All nations must reduce their carbon footprint by transitioning away from fossil fuels and toward renewable energy. Companies and governments can be incentivized to cut their emissions with the help of mechanisms like carbon financing.₇

Nonetheless, this cannot be left solely to governmental institutions. Every person has a significant impact on climate change. A person's daily actions can have an impact on how much carbon dioxide they release into the atmosphere. Keeping tabs on how much power your household or company consumes might help a lot when it comes to cutting down on pollution. To further lessen your actions' carbon footprint, you might research viable carbon offsetting programs.

Conclusion

It's incredible to think of the potential importance of frozen soil to the planet's temperature and biosphere. If permafrost is maintained in its natural frozen form, it provides enormous benefits to Earth and humanity. As a result, fragile tundra ecosystems are safeguarded and excess carbon is not released into the air. Meanwhile, it gives researchers a window into Earth's biological past from which they might predict its future.

It's crucial that we preserve permafrost so that harmful pathogens, germs, and heavy metals like mercury don't spread and global warming doesn't have even more devastating effects. As long as we all do everything we can to slow global warming, we can stop permafrost from melting.

Works Cited

1. https://www.ipcc.ch/report/ar6/wg1/

2. https://education.nationalgeographic.org/resource/permafrost

3. https://climatekids.nasa.gov/permafrost/

4. https://arctic.noaa.gov/Report-Card/Report-Card-2019/ArtMID/7916/ArticleID/844/Permafrost-and-the-Global-Carbon-Cycle

5. https://www.nationalgeographic.com/environment/article/arctic-permafrost-is-thawing-it-could-speed-up-climate-change-feature

6. https://www.adfg.alaska.gov/index.cfm?adfg=ecosystems.permafrost&_ga=2.21114675.986691572.1666840998-1290827730.1666840998#:~:text=Permafrost%20is%20a%20powerful%20influence,cycles%2C%20forming%20unique%20tundra%20landforms

7. https://www.pbs.org/newshour/science/driven-by-climate-change-thawing-permafrost-is-radically-changing-the-arctic-landscape?_ga=2.17370929.986691572.1666840998-1290827730.1666840998#:~:text=As%20temperatures%20rise%20and%20patterns,these%20dynamic%20ecosystems%20over%20millennia

8. https://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/five-fascinating-ice-age-finds-discovered-in-yukon-permafrost-180979521/?_ga=2.213397148.986691572.1666840998-1290827730.1666840998

9. https://news.climate.columbia.edu/2012/12/06/how-the-warming-arctic-affects-us-all/

10. https://nsidc.org/learn?_ga=2.18491569.986691572.1666840998-1290827730.1666840998#:~:text=Permafrost%2C%20also%20known%20as%20frozen,greenhouse%20gases%20into%20the%20atmosphere

11. https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10393-021-01549-5?_ga=2.247547663.986691572.1666840998-1290827730.1666840998#:~:text=In%202016%2C%20an%20outbreak%20of,of%20epidemiological%20situation%20without%20outbreaks

12. https://insideclimatenews.org/news/06022018/thawing-arctic-permafrost-mercury-neurotoxin-health-risk-hunters-fisheries-climate-change/?_ga=2.89074451.986691572.1666840998-1290827730.1666840998