How Saline Permafrost is speeding up Arctic Change and why it affects us all

Climate change is a worldwide problem with the Arctic being one of the most affected regions, warming twice as fast compared to the rest of the planet. This may not seem significant to those of you living far, far away from the North Pole. However, I am here to warn you; the warming Arctic isn’t only a problem for polar bears.

In simple terms, permafrost is a layer of the ground that remains frozen all year round. In normal conditions, only the top layer of soil in the Arctic thaws in the Summer and refreezes in Winter. Permafrost is so important for the regulation of our atmosphere, being one of the largest carbon stores on Earth. It locks away almost 1600 gigatons of carbon – that’s nearly double the amount currently in our atmosphere. However, as permafrost begins to thaw as one of the many effects of global warming, immense amounts of carbon are being released as methane and carbon dioxide. This greatly accelerates climate change and adds to the already existing problems we face.

Scientists have recently discovered how and why saline permafrost thaws at an even faster rate. Let me take you back to thousands of years ago during the last warming period on Earth. During this age, seas advanced further up north, leaving behind salt deposits, which then became frozen and buried deep as time went on. This contributed to what we now call saline permafrost. These salt layers seem to be accelerating thawing, similar to the desired effect of salt being scattered on an icy road during Winter. As a result, Arctic change is occurring at an even faster, and more unpredictable, rate. This increase in carbon emissions is certain to impact everyone on the planet, from more frequent wildfires and flooding to whole islands disappearing in certain areas of the world.

You would think our response to Arctic warming would be huge considering the danger it poses. But no. Shockingly, the UN’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change has only recently started to incorporate permafrost into its projections. There is so much we’ve only just discovered and so much still left in the unknown. The only thing we know for certain is that the impacts from it will be detrimental to us all. Arctic change is a threat we aren’t ready for, gradually approaching us from behind. And, before we’ve realised, it’ll be too late.