Background Articles

Typhoon Halong’s storm surge eroded the Nunalleq archaeological site near Quinhagak, exposing and scattering centuries-old Yup’ik artifacts along the Bering Sea coast. Local residents and archaeologists rushed to recover figurines, mask pieces, and other items as permafrost thaw and coastal erosion accelerate losses.

Remnants of Typhoon Halong caused severe coastal erosion in Quinhagak, Alaska, stripping up to 60 feet of shoreline, flooding parts of town, and pushing boats into riverside trees. The storm imperiled the community’s sewage lagoon and scattered priceless artifacts from the Nunalleq archaeological site along the beach.

A study of the “rusting” Salmon River and its tributaries in Kobuk Valley National Park suggests that permafrost thaw is causing wider ecological problems.

More than 50 years ago, Elden Johnson helped guide construction of the trans-Alaska pipeline, which snakes above and below ground for 800 miles.

After years of assessments, a major step forward in riverbank stabilization for the Kuskokwim Delta coastal community has been derailed by wide-ranging cuts to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

Better knowledge and mapping of existing infrastructure is leading to a new estimate of future thaw costs under varying climate scenarios.

Newspaper of record for Nunavut, and the Nunavik territory of Quebec

UAF undergraduate Leanne Bulger discovered a persistent hole in a Fairbanks forest emitting unusually high CO₂ levels—likely due to thawing permafrost microbes—and led a team using probes, gas analyzers, and radar to study its depth and gas flux.

A new study using advanced mapping techniques reveals that infrastructure damage costs in Alaska due to permafrost thaw could be significantly higher than previously estimated, potentially reaching $37B to $51B under medium and high emission scenarios.

Warming temperatures across the Arctic are causing permafrost to thaw and the ground to sink, prompting a new study to call for improved monitoring of these changes.

Warming temperatures are causing the ground to sink across parts of the Arctic, and a new study is urging better monitoring to track these dramatic changes."Our findings suggest that permafrost landscapes are undergoing geomorphic change that is impacting hydrology, ecosystems, and human infrastru

Scientists have identified warming periods and permafrost thawing, noting that lichen destruction by fires accelerates melting, with significant temperature increases observed from 2005 to 2023.

A new Senate report highlights that thawing permafrost is destabilizing northern runways in Canada, posing a threat to aviation safety as climate change impacts critical infrastructure.

A NOAA report reveals that Arctic tundra regions, including those in Alaska, have transitioned from carbon sinks to carbon sources due to warming permafrost and intensifying wildfires, exacerbating the greenhouse effect.

The Arctic tundra, which has been a carbon sink for millennia, has shifted to become a carbon source.

Thawing permafrost in the Arctic region is releasing significant amounts of carbon and nitrogen, posing environmental challenges due to increased greenhouse gas emissions.

The erosion that prompted Gov. Mike Dunleavy's action is advancing on the Northwest Alaska community's water lines.

Researchers believe that if permafrost thaw continues at its current rate and mercury keeps being released, it could pose a real threat to many communities throughout northern and western Alaska.

Permafrost Pathways started two years ago with the goal of mapping the permafrost thaw and putting that data into the hands of the communities themselves. As human-caused climate change continues to warm the region and the permafrost melts more and more, the project is expanding.

German scientists from Alfred Wegener Institute are using classic planes to map and document the accelerating permafrost thaw in Northwest Alaska.