permafrost

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    We Are Failing the Arctic Report Card

    We Are Failing the Arctic Report Card

    The 2021 Arctic Report Card is in, and it’s not looking good. The region continues to warm twice as fast as the rest of the planet, and this is having a direct impact on communities both near and far from Earth’s northernmost ecosystem, according to the annual report from the NOAA-led Arctic Program. “The Arctic […]

    24,000-Year-Old Microorganism Revived From Frozen Siberian Permafrost

    24,000-Year-Old Microorganism Revived From Frozen Siberian Permafrost

    Scientists in Russia have revived a bdelloid rotifer — a type of multicellular microorganism that’s accustomed to wet environments — after the invertebrate spent 24,000 years frozen 11 feet beneath the Siberian permafrost. According to a new study published Monday in Current Biology, past research has suggested these tiny creatures can slow their metabolisms down […]

    Thawing Permafrost Is Full of Ice-Forming Particles That Could Get Into Atmosphere

    Thawing Permafrost Is Full of Ice-Forming Particles That Could Get Into Atmosphere

    By Jessie Creamean and Thomas Hill The Research Brief is a short take about interesting academic work. The Big Idea Permafrost – frozen soil in the far north – is thawing, releasing greenhouse gases and long-lost microbes. But one thing that scientists have not studied extensively is whether permafrost contains certain kinds of particles that […]

    Disastrous Russian Oil Spill Reaches Pristine Arctic Lake

    Disastrous Russian Oil Spill Reaches Pristine Arctic Lake

    A 21,000 tonne (approximately 23,000 U.S. ton) oil spill that prompted Russian President Vladimir Putin to declare an emergency last week has now reached a pristine Arctic lake, and there are concerns it could contaminate the Arctic Ocean. Environmentalists and local officials have raised alarms about the disaster, which they say is the worst of […]