The climate-driven spread of beaver ponds in Alaska’s Arctic accelerates the effects of a warming environment by causing pond-adjacent permafrost to thaw and by increasing the amount of liquid water present during winter. Those are the key findings of the first comprehensive, on-the-ground assessment of the northward migration of beavers. The research was led by […]
In a new study, a team of geologists and biologists led by CU Boulder resurrected ancient microbes that had been trapped in ice—in some cases for around 40,000 years. The study is a showcase for the planet’s permafrost. That’s the name for a frozen mix of soil, ice and rocks that underlies nearly a quarter of […]
A team of scientists working with local residents has detailed the rapidly accelerating “catastrophic” permafrost thawing and infrastructure damage at the northern Alaska coastal community of Point Lay. The rapid ground subsidence, caused by human actions and a changing climate, has extensively damaged local infrastructure and caused other public health and safety hazards, according to […]
Warming soil unleashes metals deadly to fish and food chains In Alaska’s Brooks Range, rivers once clear enough to drink now run orange and hazy with toxic metals. As warming thaws formerly frozen ground, it sets off a chemical chain reaction that is poisoning fish and wreaking havoc on ecosystems. As the planet warms, a […]