Researchers eye Alaska thaw

32°C. This summer saw the highest temperature ever recorded in southern Alaska. What are the consequences for the environment and ice melt? UCLouvain researchers will go to Alaska (15/08 to 6/09) to analyse soil (permafrost) thawing The mission's goal is to understand and clarify thaw impact on the quantities of greenhouse gases emitted in the Arctic The historical record of 32° C in southern Alaska in early July 2019 exposed permafrost (permanently frozen ground) to an unprecedented temperature rise. The surface layer of these soils is thawing more and more deeply. It has already been scientifically proven that this induces decomposition of organic matter hitherto protected by freezing, releasing greenhouse gases and amplifying the impact on the global climate. UCLouvain researchers will go on a mission to collect soils during their maximum thaw period. Why? So far, the frozen ground has been considered 'inert'.