The Permafrost Feedback Loop

Cold parts of the Earth such as the Arctic aren’t always covered in ice and snow, but they are cold enough to have ice all year round. This is called the Permafrost. Permafrost holds all of the unusual things that soil contains, including the remains of dead animals. Part of these animals are huge, like the frozen mammoths which were found in Russia. These ancient creatures have been preserved in the permafrost for over four thousand years. Because the Earth is warming, the permafrost is starting to melt. The animals preserved in the permafrost also thaw up as this happens. Their remains are broken down by sunlight and bacteria, a process that produces carbon dioxide and methane. This increase in greenhouse gasses which warms the Earth even further, causing more permafrost to thaw. More thawing permafrost leads to more thawing remains and more carbon dioxide and methane being released.