What is Permafrost?
Permafrost
What is Permafrost?
Located in places such as Siberia, Canada, Alaska, and Greenland, permafrost is permanently frozen ground (anything from soil to rock) that has been frozen for a minimum of two years. As water seeps into cracks in the ground, it freezes and becomes ice, cooling the rest of the soil surrounding it. This causes the soil to freeze along with the water under the surface. Permafrost is also a major holder for gases. Deep in the permafrost, massive amounts of carbon and methane are held in the ground. It holds about 2500% of the methane on Earth.
Why is Permafrost Important?
Deep in the thick layers of permafrost are ancient microbes, These microbes, anything from bacteria to viruses, have been trapped under the frozen ground, unable to be released. Scientists have no way of knowing what these microbes are capable of since they are trapped layers and layers below the ground. These microbes don't pose any risk if permafrost stays frozen but with the recent advancement of global warming, the permafrost is beginning to melt.
Global Warming and Permafrost
The warming of Earth caused by global warming and climate change is causing a lot of Earth's permafrost to melt. Melting permafrost has two major affects on Earth that can have major negative affects. First of which, the melting permafrost can lead to the release of these potentially deadly microbes. The microbes, bacteria, viruses, etc. are held underground by the layers of ice and frozen soil, so if these layers melt, there is not as much of a barrier keeping them in. Melting permafrost also adds more carbon into the atmosphere, contributing to the problem of global warming, since permafrost is one of the major storage sources for carbon.
