Human Impacts on Cold Environments (AQA A Level Geography)

Figure 13

All buildings in the Svalbard settlements are built on piles driven into the permafrost, and roads, bridges, airports and other infrastructure are also constructed on permafrost. In addition, the permafrost is essential for stabilising steep mountainsides. There are also ramifications for natural vegetation. The most important consequence of the warming and thawing of the permafrost is, that large volumes of greenhouse gases, like CO2 (carbon dioxide) and CH4 (methane), may be released if ever deeper layers of the permafrost thaw. These gases have been kept out of the atmosphere because the organic carbon has been frozen in the ground.