River Erosion

Alaska’s tundra landscapes carpet a good portion of the state, from the North Slope to the elbow of the Alaska Peninsula. Researchers say it's slowly sinking in places -- as much as a fifth of an inch each year.

Coastal erosion near Cape Blossom

When 200 million metric tons of rock tumbled down a remote Southeast Alaska mountain in October, nobody was around to see it. But thanks to a beefed-up seismic network and a new system that can distinguish landslides from earthquakes, scientists knew it had happened.

When a storm exposes human remains in Barrow, there isn’t an established protocol. They are usually given to the federally recognized Native Village of Barrow for repatriation.

Thawing all-terrain vehicle (ATV) trail.

Permafrost thaw and storms are drivers.

Thawing permafrost and river bank collapsed on the Cheenik Creek.

On a rising tide, a line of bubbles from the mud under the water of Ugashik Bay can be observed rising forcefully to the surface.

Permafrost thaw is causing trail in Golovin to erode.

Permafrost thawing causing bridge damage.

This summer has been one of the rainiest Ulaanbaatar has ever experienced, leaving behind puddles of water that result in cracked and deteriorated roads.

Melting permafrost causing tundra to slip below sea level in northern Alaska.

We performed a survey of community water lines to see how permafrost thaw and sinking foundations may be impacting homes, water and waste water systems. During the June visit we saw where foundation sinking was putting stress on pipe runs and junctions. Now in the winter we see evidence of freeze up in some of the homes where the junction boxes have been compromised, gaps in the insulation seal, and resulting freeze up and overflow of water.

Arctic food storage system at risk.

"Roads are actually getting worse in the springtime than they were even [a few] years ago. In a perfect world, we'd be able to re-engineer all of our roads and get them paved. It's going to be a long-term process to get there." say Deputy Mayor Kyle Sheppard.

In northern Alaska, an amphitheater of frozen ground thaws where a northern river cuts into it, exposing walls of ice. The feature, known by scientists as “yedoma,” is the largest of its kind yet found in Alaska. A great wall of ice holds a lot of treasures from the past, which science is eager to explore.

A historic site in Yoho National Park will be dismantled and removed this spring because of effects caused by climate change, Parks Canada announced Thursday.

Participants in the expedition of the institutes of the Russian Academy of Sciences “Clean Arctic - East - 77” reported the appearance of more southern species of spiders and birds in the Arctic Circle. The unevenness of their appearance at the same geographic latitude showed that the northern border of their ranges did not shift along the entire length, but formed several protrusions in the northern direction in the form of petals. "Petal thawing” referrs to the emergence of zones with a width of 50 to 200 kilometers at the southern base where permafrost is thawing.