Is the Arctic permafrost on the edge of an unstoppable thaw? While previous studies have argued that permafrost may be a core tipping element within the global climate system, our findings challenge this assumption. Instead of a single catastrophic threshold, we find that vulnerability of permafrost to climate warming is determined by numerous local and regional thresholds that accumulate to a gradual process on a global scale. However, this is far from good news, as it means that permafrost is thawing more with every fraction of a degree of warming. In this talk, I will present the main processes driving permafrost loss at local and regional scales, how this is functionally changing Arctic landscapes, and how this is affecting ecosystems and people in the Arctic.
The lunch seminar will take place in the NU-02A59 meeting room at the New University Building of VU Amsterdam. You don't need to register, it's a free open-door event! Lunch will be provided upon arrival.
For questions, please contact the Cluster Coordinators Özlem Terzi or Jorien Vonk.