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Ecosystems

Impacts of climate change on the Arctic tundra

  • 2 things to know
  • Component 3 Section B

Overview

Warming at several times the global rate — permafrost thaw, shrub encroachment, altered albedo and the carbon feedback — and what it means for the species and people of the biome.

What you need to know

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Numbers

How fast is the Arctic warming compared with the world as a whole?

Key term

What is the ice-albedo feedback?

Questions from this subtopic

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  1. 1

    How fast is the Arctic warming compared with the world as a whole?

    Model answer

    Research published in 2022 found that the Arctic has warmed nearly four times faster than the global average since 1979. Loss of reflective sea ice drives much of that difference.

  2. 2

    What is the ice-albedo feedback?

    Model answer

    Sea ice melting exposes dark ocean, which absorbs far more solar radiation than white ice. Extra warming melts more ice, so the process reinforces itself.

  3. 3

    How much carbon is stored in Arctic permafrost?

    Model answer

    Estimates put the carbon stored in northern permafrost at around 1,400 to 1,600 billion tonnes. The permafrost store holds roughly twice the amount of carbon in the atmosphere.

  4. 4

    Why is permafrost thaw a global concern?

    Model answer

    Permafrost thaw lets microbes decompose organic matter that has been frozen for thousands of years. Carbon dioxide and methane are released, which warms the climate further.

  5. 5

    What is thermokarst?

    Model answer

    Thermokarst is the irregular, hummocky ground produced when ice-rich permafrost thaws and the surface collapses. Ponds, slumps and gullies form as the ground subsides.

  6. 6

    How does permafrost thaw damage infrastructure?

    Model answer

    Buildings, roads, pipelines and airstrips built on frozen ground subside as it softens. Repair costs across the Arctic run to billions of dollars.

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