'More unzipping of the landscape': Arctic permafrost could crumble into rivers, unleashing devastating feedback loop
Permafrost isn't just a feature of Arctic landscapes — it actually shapes those landscapes by directing the flow of water. And as global temperatures increase, this permanently frozen ground could give way to create new rivers and expand existing ones, which would release huge quantities of carbon into the atmosphere, potentially resulting in a devastating feedback loop, scientists have said. In a new study, published Feb. 1 in the journal PNAS , scientists investigated what role permafrost plays in Arctic watersheds — the area of land that channels water, such as rain and snowmelt, into creeks, streams and rivers, and eventually out to reservoirs and oceans. After analyzing data from over 69,000 watersheds across the Northern Hemisphere, researchers discovered the hard surface of permafrost prevents water from carving channels — as it would in warmer landscapes — resulting in fewer and smaller rivers in the region. "Where the ground is fr...