As the climate crisis progresses, it’s especially visible in Canada’s arctic regions. While it might not look like much, permafrost is a big part of that. In fact, if greenhouse gases released from thawing permafrost were counted as a country, it would be the third or fourth largest emitter in the world.
Reporters Emma Fazakas and Cara Gordon speak with climate experts to learn more about this frozen phenomenon and how its thawing impacts all Canadians.
Credits
Produced by Emma Fazakas and Cara Gordon
Special thanks to Dr. Mehdi Pouragha, Dr. Peter Morse, Dr. Chris Burn, the Geological Survey of Canada and the Permafrost Association of Canada
Photos
Not so Permafrost, courtesy of Jurvetson, via Flickr. Under the Creative Commons License.
Thawing permafrost in Herschel Island, 2013, courtesy of Boris Radosavljevic, via Wikimedia Commons. Under the Creative Commons License.
Retrogressive Thaw Slump, courtesy of A. Cassidy, UBC Geography on UBC Micrometeorology, via Flickr.
Yukon Coast, Canada (Nunataryuk project), courtesy of Vincent Sasseville/Nunataryuk on Grid-Arendal, via Flickr.
Aerial shot of Inuvik in late June 2021, courtesy of EightyOneImages, via Wikipedia Commons. Under the Creative Commons License.
Trans Canada Trail, courtesy of Ian Mackenzie, via Wikimedia Commons. Under the Creative Commons License.
Ehdiitat Gwich’in Council Chief Andrew Stewart Building, courtesy of OhanaUnited, via Wikipedia Commons. Under the Creative Commons License.
Building on 3rd Avenue, Dawson City, Yukon, Canada courtesy of Bo Mertz, via Flickr. Under the Creative Commons License.
Road dip caused by melting permafrost courtesy by Dr. John Cloud, NOAA Central Library, via Wikimedia Commons.
Additional resources
IN VIDEO GFX/ARTICLE: Karam, G., Pouragha, M., & Gruber, S. (2024). Investigating the controls of ice-wedge initiation and growth using XFEM. Computers and Geotechnics, 173, Article 106549. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.compgeo.2024.106549
MAP: Heginbottom, J. A., Dubreuil, M. -A. & Harker, P. (1995). Canada, permafrost. In The National Atlas of Canada (5 ed.). Natural Resources Canada, Geomatics Canada, MCR Series, 4177, Natural Resources Canada. https://doi.org/10.4095/294672
Music
Excavation by Grand_Projects via Pixabay
Inquisitive Curiosity by Musictown via Pixabay
Inquiring Discovery by Musictown via Pixabay
