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📘 How permafrost thaws

Follow active layers, heat transfer, ground ice, water, microbes, thermokarst, and carbon feedbacks.

lessons

~10 min

to learn

🔬 Science

subject

Adults

level

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What you’ll learn

Permafrost
Heat
Ice
Active layer
Microbes
Water
Thermokarst
Infrastructure
Abrupt thaw
Feedback

Questions this course answers

What is the active layer?

The active layer thaws in warm seasons and refreezes later.

Why does ground ice matter?

Ice supports structure and its loss changes volume and stability.

What can microbes produce after thaw?

Decomposition pathways differ in aerobic and anaerobic soils.

What is thermokarst?

Ice loss creates pits, ponds, and subsidence features.

Why can roads on permafrost deform?

Ice-rich ground can lose volume and strength unevenly beneath structures.

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