Climate change and permafrost

Permafrost is a thermal phenomenon of the lithosphere and applies to ground that remains at or below 0°C for at least two consecutive years. Permafrost is coupled to atmospheric conditions and as such is sensitive to climatic changes. Thawing of permafrost can lead to destabilization of steep slopes or infrastructure, and a major concern is the release of radiative active forcing gases such as methane stored in permafrost ground. Projections of permafrost changes suggest further degradation in both high altitudes and high latitudes