Permafrost Melting and its Potential Impact on Northern Canada

Northern Canada, usually experiencing very low temperatures, are now receiving much warmer temperatures which has started to give rise to many issues. One of the main challenges facing Northern Canada due to the warmer weather is the melting of the Permafrost and the destruction that it is causing to both living and non-living organisms. The word ‘Permafrost’ refers to a ground that remains “at or below the freezing point for at least two consecutive years” (Bone, 52). In Canada, almost 76% of the land is occupied by the Arctic and Subarctic regions, which has a combination of continuous, discontinuous and sporadic permafrost (Bone, 52). Continuous permafrost is mostly seen in the Arctic and almost 80% of it remains frozen. On the other hand, discontinuous permafrost is mostly seen in the subarctic and approximately 30% to 80% of the ground is frozen and finally sporadic permafrost is seen in parts of Canada closer to the south and has less than 30% of the ground permanently frozen (Bone, 53). However, in the past few decades, geographers have noticed that the average temperature of the planet is rising faster than it normally used to, which is a direct consequence of global warming. The permafrost has started to degrade causing negative effects on greenhouse gas emissions, man-made structure, vegetation, wildlife, sea ice and the lifestyle of the Inuit people in the North.

Canada’s population makes up almost 5% of the world population, and astonishingly contribute approximately 2% of the world’s greenhouse gas emissions. This results in permafrost melting, which releases a large amount of greenhouse gases, including CO2 and methane. When energy from the sun reaches the Earth’s surface, it absorbs some energy, while releasing t...

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