Permafrost fires smolder underground as tundra thaws
Zombie fires in Siberia, Scandinavia, Alaska threaten megafire outbreaks in 2023
In this rapidly changing region, exponential increases in intense lightning storms and flammable grasses suddenly growing on thawing tundra are driving record wildfires. Another critical component of the dangerous Arctic greening phenomenon is the rapid spread northward of white spruce, adding more potential fuel for fires.
Massive Carbon Release
Between June and August 2020 in Sakha Republic,wildfires released 540 megatons of CO2 roughly Canada’s CO2 emissions during an entire year, or, about 1% pf the planet’s total emissions.
Peat fires and thawing tundra drive one of the most potent climate feedback cycles, as new carbon and methane pours into the atmosphere, creating warming, which in turn causes new permafrost collapse.