Researchers looking to quantify climate change impact of carbon released from permafrost

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🗞️ Driving the news: Researchers at the University of Alberta are leading Canada’s role in a major international effort to quantify how much carbon is being released as permafrost thaws — one of the largest remaining uncertainties in climate science

🔭 The context: Permafrost thaw is a global climate blind spot
• Nearly half of Canada is underlain by permafrost, which stores vast amounts of carbon and ancient organic matter
• As frozen ground thaws, it releases carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases, potentially rivalling emissions from major industrial nations by century’s end
• Scientists still lack reliable large-scale estimates of how much carbon is entering the atmosphere
• The project brings together teams from Canada, the US, and Europe as part of a $45 million global initiative

🌍 Why it matters for the planet: Permafrost could amplify climate change beyond current projections
• Released carbon feeds a self-reinforcing feedback loop, accelerating warming
• Data will inform the Global Carbon Budget, shaping global climate models and policy
• Thawing permafrost also threatens infrastructure, ecosystems, water quality, and food systems

⏭️ What’s next: From measurement to accountability
• Fieldwork will focus on key northern regions including the Mackenzie Delta and central Mackenzie Valley
• Researchers will combine soil sampling, drone mapping, and repeat landscape surveys
• Indigenous communities are central partners — both contributing knowledge and accessing data for adaptation planning

📈 One stat: Some studies warn thawing permafrost could emit as much greenhouse gas as a large industrial country by the end of the century

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