The Y-K Delta’s permafrost could be entirely gone within decades

In The News
October 25, 2024

aerial photo of a large irregular lake on the Alaskan tundra, in the Y-K Delta. the ground is covered with low-growing orange and brown vegetation

photo by Chris Linder

The Y-K Delta’s permafrost could be entirely gone within decades

aerial photo of a large irregular lake on the Alaskan tundra, in the Y-K Delta. the ground is covered with low-growing orange and brown vegetation

All over Alaska, perennially frozen ground, or permafrost, is melting. During a panel discussion at the Arctic Encounter Symposium in April, an ecologist said the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta is set to lose nearly all of its permafrost in the next two decades. And a warming climate is to blame.

“It’s bad news,” said Sue Natali, a Senior Scientist and leader of the Permafrost Pathways Initiative at the Woodwell Climate Research Center. The goal of the initiative is to help develop strategies to manage and adapt to the enormous impact permafrost thaw is having on Y-K Delta communities. “It’s worse if you don’t know, it’s worse if you don’t plan and it’s worse if you’re not part of the planning process,” she said.