Wisconsin-sized chunk of Alaskan permafrost is thawing: Geoscientists say climate may never be the same
Why it matters: Over 275 million tons of carbon are released annually from Arctic permafrost thaw, contributing to a vicious warming feedback loop.
- Michael Rawlins' team at UMass Amherst conducted a first-of-its-kind study, analyzing 44 years of model data at one-kilometer resolution to detail permafrost thaw in a Wisconsin-sized area of Alaska's North Slope.
- The study found massive increases in runoff, higher loads of previously frozen carbon flowing through northern Alaskan rivers, and an extended thawing season into late-summer and fall.
- Arctic rivers deliver 11% of the world's river water to an ocean containing just 1% of global ocean volume, making them incredibly sensitive to changes like permafrost thaw and the deepening of the active layer.
- The deepening active layer releases vast stores of dissolved organic carbon (DOC) into rivers and the Arctic Ocean, with over 275 million tons of this carbon converting to planet-warming carbon dioxide annually, creating a feedback loop.
A groundbreaking study led by geoscientist Michael Rawlins reveals that a Wisconsin-sized area of Alaskan permafrost is rapidly thawing, drastically increasing runoff and releasing previously frozen organic carbon into rivers and the Beaufort Sea. This unprecedented analysis, using 44 years of high-resolution model data, highlights how the extended thawing season is transforming one of the fastest-warming regions globally, with potentially irreversible climate implications.
