Alaska's Permafrost isn't so Permanent

           

             A recent article from the New York Times described the growing concern for the amount of Alaska’s permafrost that is thawing. Over the past few decades the temperature in Alaska has gradually increased, causing more of the permafrost to thaw. Permafrost is ancient organic material, which had absorbed CO₂, that froze before it could be completely decomposed. There is so much carbon in the permafrost that, “worldwide, permafrost is thought to contain about twice as much carbon as is currently in the atmosphere.”

            A group of scientists went to take readings about the severity of the situation by placing temperature probes deep in the ground. The thawing is allowing microbes to convert the organic material into CO₂ and CH₄, which go into the atmosphere causing more warming. This temperature change is not only occurring at the ground close to the surface, but has seen an increase of 3° C as deep as 65 feet. This may not seem like that large of an increase but every degree is very detrimental. Currently there is debate between scientists on how much, and when the permafrost will thaw. The near-surface temperatures are expected to be greater than freezing around the middle of the century.

            During the winter the ground is fully frozen, and thaws from the top down as the temperature rises in the spring. Every year the depth of the thawed ground is gradually getting deeper, allowing more CO₂ and CH₄ to be released into the atmosphere. There is also another problem of geographical changes from the change in volume from ice to liquid water. The changes in volume cause the ground to shift which is causing problems for the infrastructure of Alaska.

            “The amount of carbon released from permafrost worldwide is 1.5 billion tons a year, averaged over the remainder of the century, is about the same as current annual emissions from fossil-fuel burning in the United States.” This thawing of permafrost is being seen not just Alaska but other subarctic areas such as northern Canada and Siberia. Dr. Holmes, senior scientist and deputy director of the research center, describes the situation as “It’s been in a freezer, and that freezer is now turning into a refrigerator.”
https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2017/08/23/climate/alaska-permafrost-thawing.html?rref=collection%2Fsectioncollection%2Fclimate