Melting may cause more abrupt changes in Arctic

TORONTO: Researchers have predicted that the climate in various regions of the Arctic may change abruptly as the region undergoes large scale melting of permafrost — frozen soil beneath the ground surface.


The study, published in ‘Nature Climate Change’, suggests that the severity of wildfires could double from one year to the next, and remain at the new higher rate for several regions in Canada, including Yukon, as the permafrost across the territories degrade.


The researchers, including those from McGill University in Canada, analysed climate model simulations for the Arctic region, and noticed abrupt changes in soil moisture, as well as sudden increases in intense rainfall with a likely increase in lightning and wildfires. Earlier research on permafrost degradation tended to project a gradual melting with few direct effects on climate, the study noted.