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Permafrost

An iceberg melts in Kulusuk, Greenland near the Arctic Circle, Aug, 16, 2005. A new report finds permafrost in the Arctic is thawing faster than ever before.

Critical permafrost research in Russia disrupted by war in Ukraine

Environment

Most of the world’s permafrost lies in Russia. Critical research looks at how melting permafrost contributes to global warming. But sanctions against Russia this year have disrupted field work and threatened collaborations among scientists.

Smoke rises from wildfires near Berezovka River in Russia

A heat wave in Siberia signals dangerous Arctic warming

A sun sets behind a cloud over a grey body of water

Arctic permafrost is starting to thaw. Here’s why we should all care.

The Big Melt
Alaska oil pipeline

Can Alaska rely on oil and address climate change? State officials are about to find out.

Climate Change
A view of tundra landscape in the Rocky Mountains — 11,000 feet from sea level.

In the dead of winter, plants are already starting to prepare for spring — underground

Science
Soil test plots

Carbon released from warming soil will accelerate climate disruption, according to a long-term study

Environment

Scientists are concerned that carbon released from the Earth’s soil as a result of climate change will stimulate more warming. A yearslong study attempts to quantify the risk.

Methane bubbles under ice

Melting polar ice poses a serious global risk

Environment

The fast retreat of glaciers and polar ice is sobering, if not terrifying, in what it implies for the future of life here on Earth.

Yakutian horses trampling snow

A bold plan to slow the melt of Arctic permafrost could help reverse global warming

Science

In a tiny corner of the Siberian Arctic, Russian scientists are working to forestall global climate catastrophe by restoring the Ice Age ecosystem.

Yedoma permafrost

Thawing permafrost could have catastrophic consequences, scientists warn

Environment

As global temperatures increase, thawing permafrost starts to release large amounts of carbon dioxide and methane, which, in turn, raises global temperatures. This feedback loop could have dire consequences — and new research suggests we are getting close to making this loop irreversible.

Eight nations share the territory of the Arctic, which is experiencing the fastest changes of any part of the earth as global temperatures rise. The United States will emphasize addressing the causes and impacts of climate change in the region when it tak

As new leader of the Arctic Council, the US will focus on the region’s Big Thaw

Environment

Climate change is hitting the Arctic harder than anywhere else. And when it takes over leadership of the eight-nation Arctic Council later this month, the US will shift the organization’s priority from economic development to fighting — and adapting to — climate change.