Small satellites, big data, and the fate of permafrost landscapes

How are permafrost landscapes changing in the face of climate change? The Arctic, vast and largely inaccessible, is now imaged by satellites at least once a day, allowing us to witness permafrost landscape dynamics in real-time. I use new datasets and computational tools to learn about permafrost landscapes at levels of detail that had been limited to well-studied landscapes in lower latitudes, where most geomorphic laws have been formulated and tested…until now. And not a moment too soon - amplified warming of Arctic landscapes threatens their stored carbon and thus global greenhouse gas emissions goals.

Host : Claire Masteller