Permafrost is warming at a global scale

Boris K. Biskaborn (), Sharon L. Smith, Jeannette Noetzli, Heidrun Matthes, Gonçalo Vieira, Dmitry A. Streletskiy, Philippe Schoeneich, Vladimir E. Romanovsky, Antoni G. Lewkowicz, Andrey Abramov, Michel Allard, Julia Boike, William L. Cable, Hanne H. Christiansen, Reynald Delaloye, Bernhard Diekmann, Dmitry Drozdov, Bernd Etzelmüller, Guido Grosse, Mauro Guglielmin, Thomas Ingeman-Nielsen, Ketil Isaksen, Mamoru Ishikawa, Margareta Johansson, Halldor Johannsson, Anseok Joo, Dmitry Kaverin, Alexander Kholodov, Pavel Konstantinov, Tim Kröger, Christophe Lambiel, Jean-Pierre Lanckman, Dongliang Luo, Galina Malkova, Ian Meiklejohn, Natalia Moskalenko, Marc Oliva, Marcia Phillips, Miguel Ramos, A. Britta K. Sannel, Dmitrii Sergeev, Cathy Seybold, Pavel Skryabin, Alexander Vasiliev, Qingbai Wu, Kenji Yoshikawa, Mikhail Zheleznyak and Hugues Lantuit
Additional contact information
Boris K. Biskaborn: Alfred Wegener Institute Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research
Sharon L. Smith: Natural Resources Canada
Jeannette Noetzli: WSL Institute for Snow and Avalanche Research SLF
Heidrun Matthes: Alfred Wegener Institute Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research
Gonçalo Vieira: CEG/IGOT, Universidade de Lisboa
Dmitry A. Streletskiy: George Washington University
Philippe Schoeneich: Institut de Géographie Alpine
Vladimir E. Romanovsky: University of Alaska Fairbanks
Antoni G. Lewkowicz: University of Ottawa
Andrey Abramov: Institute of Physicochemical and Biological Problems of Soil Science, RAS
Michel Allard: Université Laval, Centre d’études nordiques
Julia Boike: Alfred Wegener Institute Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research
William L. Cable: Alfred Wegener Institute Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research
Hanne H. Christiansen: The University Center in Svalbard
Reynald Delaloye: University of Fribourg
Bernhard Diekmann: Alfred Wegener Institute Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research
Dmitry Drozdov: Earth Cryosphere Institute, Tyumen Scientific Centre SB RAS
Bernd Etzelmüller: University of Oslo, Department of Geosciences
Guido Grosse: Alfred Wegener Institute Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research
Mauro Guglielmin: Insubria University, Department of Theoretical and Applied Sciences
Thomas Ingeman-Nielsen: Technical University of Denmark, Department of Civil Engineering
Ketil Isaksen: Norwegian Meteorological Institute
Mamoru Ishikawa: Hokkaido University
Margareta Johansson: Lund University
Halldor Johannsson: Arctic Portal
Anseok Joo: Arctic Portal
Dmitry Kaverin: Komi Science Centre, RAS
Alexander Kholodov: University of Alaska Fairbanks
Pavel Konstantinov: Melnikov Permafrost Institute, RAS
Tim Kröger: Free University Berlin, Geography Department
Christophe Lambiel: University of Lausanne
Jean-Pierre Lanckman: Arctic Portal
Dongliang Luo: Northwest Institute of Eco-environment and Resource, CAS
Galina Malkova: Earth Cryosphere Institute, Tyumen Scientific Centre SB RAS
Ian Meiklejohn: Rhodes University
Natalia Moskalenko: Earth Cryosphere Institute, Tyumen Scientific Centre SB RAS
Marc Oliva: University of Barcelona
Marcia Phillips: WSL Institute for Snow and Avalanche Research SLF
Miguel Ramos: Universidad de Alcalá
A. Britta K. Sannel: Stockholm University
Dmitrii Sergeev: Institute of Environmental Geoscience, RAS
Cathy Seybold: National Soil Survey Center
Pavel Skryabin: Melnikov Permafrost Institute, RAS
Alexander Vasiliev: Earth Cryosphere Institute, Tyumen Scientific Centre SB RAS
Qingbai Wu: Northwest Institute of Eco-environment and Resource, CAS
Kenji Yoshikawa: University of Alaska Fairbanks
Mikhail Zheleznyak: Melnikov Permafrost Institute, RAS
Hugues Lantuit: Alfred Wegener Institute Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research

Nature Communications, 2019, vol. 10, issue 1, 1-11

Abstract: Abstract Permafrost warming has the potential to amplify global climate change, because when frozen sediments thaw it unlocks soil organic carbon. Yet to date, no globally consistent assessment of permafrost temperature change has been compiled. Here we use a global data set of permafrost temperature time series from the Global Terrestrial Network for Permafrost to evaluate temperature change across permafrost regions for the period since the International Polar Year (2007–2009). During the reference decade between 2007 and 2016, ground temperature near the depth of zero annual amplitude in the continuous permafrost zone increased by 0.39 ± 0.15 °C. Over the same period, discontinuous permafrost warmed by 0.20 ± 0.10 °C. Permafrost in mountains warmed by 0.19 ± 0.05 °C and in Antarctica by 0.37 ± 0.10 °C. Globally, permafrost temperature increased by 0.29 ± 0.12 °C. The observed trend follows the Arctic amplification of air temperature increase in the Northern Hemisphere. In the discontinuous zone, however, ground warming occurred due to increased snow thickness while air temperature remained statistically unchanged.

Date: 2019
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DOI: 10.1038/s41467-018-08240-4

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