Part of the theory is that herd animals pack down snow, freezing the soil much deeper. Other herd effects may also reduce greenhouse gas production.
"permafrost"
New map shows the potential future of permafrost on the North Slope
“We hope that this tool will be useful for engineers who [are] doing some projects in this area, for government thinking about what they should expect, and also for any people who live in Alaska,” Vladimir Romanovsky said.
Is there a ticking time bomb under the Arctic?
Just what exactly is permafrost? And what is happening now that it’s warming up? To find out, we enter the Arctic Circle’s secret world of ice and frozen history.
Walker calls for timely action on budget in annual address
Republican lawmakers reacted coolly to the speech by Walker, an independent.
After BP leak report, state calls for review of all North Slope wells
The emergency order comes after BP blamed an April oil and gas spill on a piece of a flawed well design and thawing permafrost.
Studying climate change, Korean scientists warm to Western Alaska
A team of South Korean researchers were in Nome during September to study the effects of climate change on Arctic permafrost ecosystems. The project is one of many throughout the Arctic and Antarctic sponsored by the Korean Polar Research Institute, or KOPRI.
Bethel scientist returns home to study climate change
What happens after fire scorches the tundra, and what follows when carbon that’s been locked away for millennia gets released? Currently, a group of scientists is camping 50 miles north of Bethel are attempting to answer these questions. For one scientist the research is personal because it means coming home.
Should Alaskans fear diseases frozen in the permafrost?
Scientists have talked about the possibility of epidemics caused by thawing permafrost, but until now, it’s only been a theory. If the Siberian anthrax outbreak is traced back to spores in the permafrost, it would be a troubling development.
Permafrost-preserving technology may work better farther north as climate warms
Some 200 big rigs travel the Dalton Highway on an average day to bring supplies to the giant Prudhoe Bay oilfield complex. All that trucking requires regular repair work along the 414-mile mostly gravel road – an ongoing and costly challenge that could become even more if road-building technologies developed to protect permafrost under roadways no longer work.
Dispatches from the Arctic Science Summit
Scientists, policy makers and environmental enthusiasts from around the world gathered last week in Fairbanks for Arctic Science Summit.