Permafrost Effect

Permafrost is very vulnerable to changes in air temperature and different snow coverages making it extremely sensitive to climate change. As the permafrost is melting, it continues to amplify the already rapidly increasing rate of global warming because it is releasing heat-trapping elements that are stored in the soil and the ice into the atmosphere. In the Beringia Upland Tundra, average temperatures in the year 2050 are expected to be 3.5-7 degrees fahrenheit higher than what current temperatures are at now. With this happening, the permafrost will continue to melt unless humans reduce the amount of heat-trapping emissions being let into the atmosphere (Hagenstein). Through warmer climate is increased evaporation, lakes are getting severly smaller and permafrost is thinning. As the climate warms, shrubs are entering into the tundra. In some circumstances and places, shrubs are taking place of other tundra vegetation such as lichen. Caribou depend on lichens for food in the winter since the tundra does not produce much food in the winter. A decline of lichen can cause a negative slope of growth and and numbers of these animals, and can possibly lead to extinction in this region. If caribou don't survive, then other animal species in this region will not be able to evolve and thrive since caribou are a solid food source for them

In the Northeastern part of Russia, summers are cold and winters are colder. The Siberian Tundra is home to many abiotic factors such as strong winds, little precipitation, and short summers days. With poor soil and permafrost, the tundra could soon be gone, or at least cause dramatic changes to the earth. According to Evans (2002), the grounds of the Siberian Tundra are misty during the summer. The average temperature in the Tundra is 37 to 54 degrees yet, in these short months of summer, the Siberian tundra has a permafrost layer that is starts to disappear. This loss of permafrost is resulting in the rise of carbon emissions, which contributes to global climate change. Through research, we can better understand the disappearance of the permafrost layer in the Siberian tundra. How and why is it disappearing, and what impact this disappearance is having on the tundra, and on a much larger scale, the Earth?

Global warming persists as one of the world’s biggest issues today that is causing several problems that include the world’s severe climate and rising sea levels while possibly being the main cause as to why all of mankind could go extinct. This global crisis is known as the steady increase in the world’s average temperature of the earth’s atmosphere and oceans that are proven to be permanently changing the world’s climate (Live Science, 2014). This phenomenon is strongly evident as Earth’s temperature has also increased by 2 degrees Celsius since the last century. As a result of this, Canadian glaciers are melting at a higher rate of 2 to 3 feet than of what it was a decade before (Lerner, 2014). All astoundingly happening while the Artic Canadian permafrost has begun to melt (Davidson,2015). The state of this issue in Canada does not seem to be improving as validated through both the scientific evidence as well as the blatant and irrefutable observable evidence.

In Henry Fountain’s “Alaska’s Permafrost is Thawing”, Fountain discusses how Alaska’s permafrost is slowly thawing away. Alaska is known for its vast, snowy landscape, but that soon could be all gone. This article is directed towards people who are interested in the warming of Alaska. As the Arctic is warming at an alarming rate, wildlife is slowing disappearing and sea levels are rising.

The increasing global temperatures have caused many problems in Arctic ecosystems. The increasing warmth has caused ice caps to melt, and permafrost to thaw, causing shifts in the ecosystems around them. 1According to Harris (2005) “Permafrost is soil, rock or sediment that is frozen for more than two consecutive years. In areas not overlain by ice, it exists beneath a layer of soil, rock or sediment, which freezes and thaws annually and is called the "active layer".” (p. 17). While the melting of ice may not seem like a big issue at first glance, its effects are truly catastrophic. Many professionals in this field, such as Houghton (2009) have said 2“Warming is expected to be strongest in the Arctic, with the continuing retreat of

Lemmings, the arctic bumblebee, and the Labrador tea-plant are all examples of organisms that live in the tundra. They have all had to adapt to continue their species. However, the cold temperatures are not the only unforgiving things in the tundra. Over hunting in the tundra is leading to many species and organisms becoming endangered. Because there is permafrost in the ground of the tundra global warming will reach its tipping point. Once the permafrost melts in the tundra it will release methane gas speeding up the global warming process exponentially. The thawed permafrost also allows for nonnative plants to grow in the tundra. Although, the tundra is the second most deadly environment on earth it holds the most vital place in global

Ground temperatures in parts of the North are warming by one-10th of a degree after every ten years. Where ground ice contents are comparatively high, melting permafrost can have significant impacts, some of which may take not be as willingly obvious as others. On ice, you do not need a very sloped surface before you start to slip or slide and hence, that is what happens with the permafrost and overlying land, resulting in landslides in the North. Also, melting permafrost leads to subsidence, which occurs usually when permafrost thaws/melts and the soil formerly held up by the ice caves in. An example of this would be about Iqaluit’s Arctic Winter Games arena, where the floor began to sink soon after the building opened in October 2001. It is predicted that permafrost area may decrease by approximately thirty-seven to eighty-one percent by the end of the century! As temperatures keep getting warmer, permafrost will continue to thaw. Moreover, changes in permafrost have unpleasant results for infrastructure designed for permafrost conditions. Eventually, pipelines, airstrips and roads need to be changed because they depend on permafrost for structural integrity. The estimated costs to upgrade and fix buildings or infra-structure in Canada’s North could range from $250 million to $420 million. All these current/predicted changes due to melting permafrost has resulted in a huge or major burden on the government resources.100 and 1000 of people in North Canada live on permafrost. Once the frozen water turns into water, it makes it quite difficult for the people in the towns to find drinking water. To conclude, melting permafrost in North Canada has resulted in landslides, subsidence, damage to infra-structure and people are facing trouble in accessing

One of the global warming changes our planet is going through is the melting of glaciers in the Arctic sea. John Hawkins states, “How much Arctic ice really matters is an open question since the very limited evidence we have suggests that a few

The change the Artic will have an impact on the earth. Temperatures in the Arctic are rising at twice the rate of the rest of the world on average, and melting glaciers and land-based ice sheets are contributing to rising sea levels. Rising ocean temperatures are affecting ocean ecosystems. In turn having an affect on the communities and economies that depend on them. The changing Arctic could lead to global changes in ocean-based food security that will place additional burdens on economies, societies, and institutions around the world.

We are not able to predict all the nuances of climate change, but a few are obvious. The planet’s winds are driven in large part by the temperature difference between the poles and the tropics. Since the Arctic is heating faster than the tropics, the temperature difference is decreasing and wind speeds are slowing. They have already slowed in the northern hemisphere by between 5 and 15% in the past 30 years. One consequence of reduced winds is erratic behavior of the northern jet stream, the oscillations of which sometimes bring cold air south and warm air north. More erratic oscillations could cause blizzards, tropical cyclones, droughts and heat waves in unexpected places at unexpected times. Our computer models are not robust enough to predict what and where.

It has been observed through various researches that in the last century, average temperatures across the globe increased by over 1.3°F with an increase of more than two times in the Arctic. (Bates, Kundzewicz, Wu, & Palutikof, June 2008). The results of climate change can also be seen in changing precipitation patterns, increases in ocean temperatures, changes in the sea level, and acidity and melting of glaciers and sea ice (USEPA, 2014).

Recent and expected changes in Arctic sea ice cover, snow cover, and methane emissions from permafrost thaw are likely to result in large positive feedbacks to climate warming. There is little recognition of the significant loss in economic value that the disappearance of Arctic sea ice, snow, and permafrost will impose on humans. Here, we examine how sea ice and snow cover, as well as methane emissions due to changes in permafrost, may potentially change in the future, to year 2100, and how these changes may feed back to influence the climate. Between 2010 and 2100, the annual costs from the extra warming due to a decline in albedo related to losses of sea ice and snow, plus each year's methane emissions, cumulate to a present value cost to

The warming temperatures, cause Sea ice and freshwater glacial ice to melt, and as the ice continues to thaw, many species are starting to find it increasingly difficult to adapt to the intensifying changes (WWF, 2015). These species are then experiencing change in distribution and diversity within their population (Weart, 2015). An arctic that is less diverse will cause an increase in competition as it will be harder for animals to find food, causing a change in their feeding habits (Green facts, 2001). This also causes them to use more of their stored energy as they have to improve their hunting skills and be able to go longer before finding food. Scientists are seeing dramatic changes as the arctic has risen in temperature by almost 10 degrees Fahrenheit since 1949 and now are saying the Arctic could be completely ice free in the summer of 2030 (climate graphics, 2015). Noticeably, these species are losing their habitat and need a way to survive as they will not be able to move further north to keep cool like most other species (climate graphics, 2015). Though researchers found that most species can manage the changing climate by adapting themselves to the new conditions in their ecosystem, scientists wonder whether or not these species in the arctic will be able to adapt fast enough to keep up with the rapid pace of their changing climate (Lavergne, 2010; Salamin, 2010). These species in the future may no longer be adapted to the environmental conditions in the arctic because of these changes, and could therefore fall outside their climatic niche (globe and mail, 2015). With all these dramatically harsh changes, this makes it more difficult for the arctic species to survive, in these cases, micro-evolution may be needed for them to continue (Visser 2008). Otherwise, without enough sea ice, the

In the arctic, there is a layer of the soil known as permafrost. In this layer, there is a large concentration of CO2, or Carbon Dioxide. The environment can only handle a certain amount of CO2 at a time. Most of this CO2 is released through the burning of fossil fuels. However, fossil fuels burn slowly releasing small amounts at a time. Scientists previously believed that the CO2 in the layers of permafrost would eventually be released all at once, triggering irreversible global warming effects. However, testing of these permafrost layers has now revealed that the CO2 will escape gradually. This gradual escape is good news to scientists, because it means the world will have time to prepare for the effects of it. However, there is not much

The Arctic is global warming’s canary in the coal mine. It is a highly sensitive area which is profoundly affected by the changing climate. The average temperature in the Arctic is rising twice as fast as elsewhere in the world (nrdc.org). Because of this, the ice cap is getting thinner, melting away, and rupturing. Here is an example of this; the largest ice block in the Arctic, the Ward Hunt Ice Shelf, had been around for 3000 years before it started cracking in 2000 (nrdc.org) By 2002, the Ward Hunt has cracked completely through and had started breaking into smaller pieces. The melting ice caps are affecting the earth and its inhabitants in many ways. In this paper, the following concepts and subjects will be