Boris K. Biskaborn, Sharon L. Smith, Jeannette Noetzli et al

Published date January 16, 2019

Permafrost is warming at a global scale

  • States that permafrost warming has the potential to amplify global climate change, because when frozen sediments thaw it unlocks soil organic carbon
  • Uses a global data set of permafrost temperature time series from the Global Terrestrial Network for Permafrost to evaluate temperature change across permafrost regions for the period since the International Polar Year (2007–2009)
  • Finds that during the reference decade between 2007 and 2016, ground temperature near the depth of zero annual amplitude in the continuous permafrost zone increased by 0.39 ± 0.15 °C
  • Finds that globally, permafrost temperature increased by 0.29 ± 0.12 °C
  • Notes that the observed trend follows the Arctic amplification of air temperature increase in the Northern Hemisphere