A study finds that while permafrost thaw in the North is causing local and regional changes, it is not a global climate tipping point.
The $100 million Pretty Rocks Bridge will cross the site of a landslide that has closed the road at Mile 45 since 2021.
Arctic rivers are undergoing significant changes due to a warming climate, with increased precipitation and permafrost thaw leading to stronger flows and altered chemical compositions.
The oranging of northern rivers seems to be related to recent permafrost thaw that has allowed streams to release previously captive iron, trace metals and acid.
Conservationists petition for federal protection of the rare Kigluaik buttercup, threatened by climate change and proposed mining activities.
NASA's PACE satellite, designed to study ocean biology in unprecedented detail, has been successfully launched to enhance understanding of Earth's changing climate and improve weather forecasting.
Climate change is causing a 'microbial awakening' in Alaska's ecosystems, altering food webs as fungi become a major energy source for small mammals.
Melting permafrost in Nunapitchuk is causing severe structural damage to homes, leading to erosion, instability, and health issues for residents.
Two local governments have retracted their criticism of Conoco's Willow project, now focusing on protecting subsistence resources and leveraging project opportunities.
The collapse of Diomede city's building, suspected to be caused by melting permafrost, has led to emergency measures and online schooling as efforts to stabilize and dismantle the structure proceed.
At the 2023 American Geophysical Union fall meeting, scientists from the University of Alaska Fairbanks (UAF) are showcasing their research. One highlighted study involves the Permafrost Grown initiative, which aims to help Alaska farmers manage permafrost-related challenges such as ground thawing that leads to uneven terrain and sinkholes. Benjamin Jones from UAF is using drones and pulsed lasers to analyze historical changes in agricultural land to develop best practices for sustainable farming on permafrost.
Alaska communities are facing significant challenges due to climate change, including the disappearance of snow crabs, threats to subsistence hunting and fishing, and difficulties in processing and storing food, but some communities are taking action and developing local climate adaptation plans with the support of funding and collaboration between different governments and agencies.
Extreme flooding on Alaska's Arctic highway in 2015 caused thaw-induced sinking in the permafrost terrain up to 3 inches deep, with the most significant effects occurring in ice-rich areas, according to a newly published study.
A new atlas exploring permafrost in the Arctic aims to provide a comprehensive understanding of the changes occurring in the region, featuring maps, illustrations, photographs, artwork, and testimonials from Arctic residents and scientists.
A new study suggests that more than 75% of Earth's near-surface permafrost will be gone by the end of the century, leading to major implications for cold-climate regions like Alaska where permafrost covers the majority of the state and thawing is already well underway, resulting in sinking and unstable infrastructure and significant costs for adaptation.
The U.S. Department of the Interior released a 1,200-page supplemental environmental impact study (EIS) on the proposed Ambler Access Road in Alaska, which reveals potentially greater social and environmental impacts than previously thought, including concerns about disrupting traditional hunting and fishing lifestyles and causing permafrost thaw.
A U.S. Energy Department climate scientist visited Utqiaġvik to evaluate research progress on permafrost and climate change, highlighting the importance of accurate measurements and models in predicting future climate patterns in the Arctic.
A research team has discovered that bottom sediment temperatures in the Russian Arctic shelf vary across different regions, with the Kara Sea having higher temperatures due to warm currents and large Siberian rivers, and the Laptev Sea and East Siberian Sea having the lowest temperatures and thicker subsea permafrost, which is important for understanding the degradation of permafrost and methane emissions in the region.
Melting permafrost will increase the maintenance costs for critical infrastructure by $15.5 billion by mid-century but unable to prevent some $21.6 billion in damages. Nearly 70% of current infrastructure located on permafrost is at risk, including major oil and gas fields, pipelines, and mines.
The Permafrost and Infrastructure Symposium this month brought together over 50 scientists, engineers and residents this month, creating a space for them to exchange their perspectives on the effects of thawing permafrost in the Arctic.
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