CAGIS Virtual – Melting Permafrost (11-16)

Hey there, have you ever heard about permafrost? It’s like a frozen superpower ground that stays chilly at or below 0°C (32°F) for at least two whole years. You can mostly find it in the Arctic, Antarctic, and high-altitude spots of the planet. But when permafrost gets thawed, it’s like waking up a sleeping giant, as the organic matter inside it begins to decompose and releases greenhouse gases into the atmosphere. And you know what that means… Climate change and global warming! Also, thawing permafrost causes chaos for the habitat of chilly species, like plants, animals, and microbes that are used to living in cold weather. And to make it worse, melting permafrost can cause the ground to shake and infrastructure to collapse or sink, making it dangerous for us. But wait, there’s more! Losing permafrost can destroy records of human history and cultural heritage, like a time machine in the deep freeze. So let’s create our own little permafrost world today and understand how it works and what we can do to help. Let’s freeze and have some fun!