Permafrost, Meaning, Latest News

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Permafrost Latest News

According to a new study, permafrost covers 64.8% of the total area of J & K and Ladakh.

About Permafrost

Permafrost is any ground that remains completely frozen—32°F (0°C) or colder—for at least two years straight.
Where are they found?
- These permanently frozen grounds are most common in regions with high mountains and in Earth’s higher latitudes—near the North and South Poles.
- They can be found on land and below the ocean floor.
- It can extend down beneath the earth’s surface from a few feet to more than a mile, covering entire regions, such as the Arctic tundra, or a single, isolated spot, such as a mountaintop of alpine permafrost.
- Permafrost coverslarge regions of the Earth. Almost a quarter of the land area in the Northern Hemisphere has permafrost underneath.
What Is Permafrost Made Of?
- Permafrost is made of a combination of soil, rocks and sand that are held together by ice.
- The soil and ice in permafrost stay frozen all year long.
- Although the ground is frozen, permafrost regions are not always covered in snow.
- Near the surface, permafrost soils also contain large quantities of organic carbon—a material leftover from dead plants that couldn’t decompose, or rot away, due to the cold.
- Lower permafrost layers contain soils made mostly of minerals.
- A layer of soil on top of permafrost does not stay frozen all year. This layer, called the active layer,thaws during the warm summer months and freezes again in the fall.
- In colder regions, the ground rarely thaws—even in the summer. There, the active layer is very thin—only 4 to 6 inches (10 to 15 centimeters). In warmer permafrost regions, the active layer can be several meters thick.