Permafrost extent 1997-2018

This animation shows the permafrost extent from 1997-2018.Frozen Arctic soils are set to release vast amounts of greenhouse gases to the atmosphere as they continue to thaw in coming decades. Despite concerns that this will fuel future global warming, the scale and speed of this important climate process remain uncertain. To help address this knowledge gap, ESA-funded researchers have developed and released a new permafrost dataset - the longest, satellite-derived permafrost record currently available.

Read full story: Long-term permafrost record details Arctic thaw