Permafrost Continues to Warm in Northern Hemisphere; Monitoring Increasing
05.08.2010 - Land & Geology, Ice & Snow, Arctic
An extensive study on permafrost shows that permafrost warming continues to spread throughout a wide swath of the Northern Hemisphere. The results of the study, recently published in the journal Permafrost and Periglacial Processes, describe the thermal state of high-latitude permafrost.
The field campaign for the study was launched during the International Polar Year to improve the existing permafrost-monitoring network. Adding nearly 300 boreholes monitored with sensors (for a total of 575) to serve as permafrost observatories across the polar and sub-polar regions in the Northern Hemisphere, the team was able to gather data on permafrost. The field campaign, which significantly increased the area covered by Northern Hemisphere permafrost monitoring, doubled the size of the previously existing network.
In their study, the researchers found that permafrost temperatures have risen 2°C compared with 20 to 30 years ago, while permafrost near 0°C appeared to warm more slowly than colder permafrost. While the results of the study will help scientists in their effort to analyze trends affecting permafrost, it could also make for better modelling of future conditions and act as an early warning system of the negative consequences of climate change in permafrost regions. With this knowledge, policymakers will be able to plan for a future with warmer permafrost.
