Parts of the Arctic are not freezing in winter ‘increasing the likelihood that Earth’s permafrost will melt and release huge amounts of greenhouse gas’
- Soil in a remote region of northern Siberia did not freeze over during winter for the first time
- This suggests much of the Arctic’s soil now remains soft all year round
- During winter the ground normally freezes to form a protective layer, stopping the permafrost from melting
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Sections of Arctic soil are no longer freezing over all year round, threatening to pump thousands of tonnes of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere. Pictured is a map showing the extent of permanent and sporadic permafrost in the Arctic region
Sections of Arctic soil are no longer freezing over all year round, threatening to pump thousands of tonnes of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere.
Scientists found that soil in one of the world’s coldest regions remained mushy and damp throughout the most recent winter.
During these months the soil normally freezes over, forming a protective layer over Arctic permafrost that houses billions of tonnes of ancient carbon.
Scientists warned that without this insulation, the permafrost will begin to melt, potentially releasing a dangerous payload of carbon dioxide and methane.
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Russian scientist Dr Nikita Zimov sent a team to drill into the top layer of soil at Cherskiy, Russia, in April.
The small town in Northern Siberia is one of the coldest places on Earth, with average winter temperatures as low as -34°C (-29°F).
His team found that the top layer of soil at Cherskiy – one of the coldest places on Earth – failed to freeze over during winter, instead remaining soft and moist.
The ground below the surface there should be frozen solid even in late spring, Dr Zimov told National Geographic.
The scientist runs Russia’s Pleistocene Park project, which aims to recreate an ice age ecosystem in a remote region of northern Siberia to boost wildlife numbers.
Assuming this same process is occurring across warmer parts of the Arctic Circle, much of the polar region’s permafrost could be at risk of accelerated thawing.
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During winter Arctic soil normally freezes over, forming a protective layer over Arctic permafrost that houses billions of tonnes of ancient carbon and methane. Pictured are polygons formed by the annual freezing and thawing of subsurface ice in Cherskiy, Russia
Every winter across the Arctic, the top few inches or feet of soil and rich plant matter freezes up before thawing again in summer.
Beneath this active layer sits continuously frozen earth called permafrost, which extends hundreds of feet down and, in places, has remained frozen for millennia.
Without a protective layer of soil, permafrost across the Arctic could melt for the first time in thousands of years, scientists warned.
WHAT IS PERMAFROST AND WHAT HAPPENS IF IT MELTS?
Permafrost is a permanently frozen layer below the Earth’s surface found in Arctic regions such as Alaska, Siberia and Canada.
It typically consists of soil, gravel and sand bound together by ice, and is classified as ground that has remained below 0°C (32°F) for at least two years.
It is estimated 1,500 billion tons of carbon is stored in the world’s permafrost – more than twice the amount found in the atmosphere.
The carbon comes in the form of ancient vegetation and soil that has remained frozen for millennia.
If global warming were to melt the world’s permafrost, it could release thousands of tonnes of carbon dioxide and methane into the atmosphere.
Because some permafrost regions have stayed frozen for thousands of years, it is of particular interest for scientists.
Ancient remains found in permafrost are among the most complete ever found because the ice stops organic matter from decomposing.
A number of 2,500-year-old bodies buried in Siberia by a group of nomads known as the Scythians have been found with their tattooed skin still intact.
A baby mammoth corpse uncovered on Russia’s Arctic coast in 2010 still sported clumps of its hair despite being more than 39,000 years old.
Permafrost is also used in the study of Earth’s geological history as soil and minerals buried deep in Arctic regions for thousands of years can be dug up and studied today.
‘This is a big deal,’ Professor Ted Schuur, a permafrost expert at Northern Arizona University, said.
‘In the permafrost world, this is a significant milestone in a disturbing trend – like carbon in the atmosphere reaching 400 parts per million.’
Permafrost is found beneath nearly a quarter of the Northern Hemisphere’s landmass.
Scientists found that soil in one of the world’s coldest regions remained mushy and damp throughout the most recent winter. In this image, permafrost can be seen up close along the perimeter of the Batagaika Crater in eastern Siberia
Trapped in this frozen soil and vegetation is around 1,500 billion tons of carbon – more than twice the amount found in the atmosphere.
If global warming continues to thaw Arctic permafrost, it could allow microbes to eat the organic matter stored in it, releasing carbon dioxide and methane.
This threatens to create a deadly feedback loop in which global warming releases more greenhouse gases from permafrost, which in turns heats up the planet.
Scientists have previously estimated that permafrost in the Arctic holds the potential to release hundreds of thousands of tonnes of greenhouse gases into the air.
The Batagaika Crater (pictured) in the town of Batagay, Russia, is the one of the largest craters in the world. Scientists believe it started to form in the 1960s as a result of permafrost thawing beneath the Earth’s surface. The thawing may have been caused by local deforestation
At a site just 11 miles (18km) from Dr Zimov’s drilling, researchers at the Max Planck Institute in Germany measure carbon exchange between the Earth and atmosphere.
Researcher Dr Mathias Goeckede told National Geographic snow depth there has doubled over the past five years.
When deep snow covers the ground, it insulates the top layer of soil and stops warmth beneath the surface from dissipating during winter.
Data from a drill hole on Dr Goeckede’s site show temperatures 13 inches (30cm) below ground rose by about 6 degrees Celsius between 2013 and 2018.
Russian scientist Dr Nikita Zimov sent a team to drill into the top layer of soil at Cherskiy, Russia, in April
‘This is just one site, and it’s just five years, so this really should be considered just a case-study,’ Dr Goeckede said.
‘But if you assume it’s a trend or that it might continue like this, then it’s alarming.’
Other scientists warned that Arctic permafrost remains exposed by melted soil for increasingly lengthy periods.
Vladimir Romanovsky, permafrost expert at the University of Alaska in Fairbanks, said: ‘For all years before 2014, the complete freeze-up of the active layer would happen in mid-January.
‘Since 2014, the freeze-up date has shifted to late February and even March.’
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