Earth Science Week Classroom Activities

Exploring Permafrost in the Arctic

Activity Source: Written by AGI with the Natural Resources Conservation Service

Permafrost, frozen ground lasting at least two years, is found in Earth’s coldest regions: the Arctic, boreal zones, Antarctica, and high-altitude areas. It profoundly impacts the plant, animal, and human communities in these regions. Permafrost underlies 15% of the northern hemisphere’s exposed land. It is prevalent across the Arctic and extends into areas like Alaska, Canada, Greenland, Russia, and the Tibetan Plateau. Permafrost varies in thickness and distribution, and is classified into continuous, discontinuous, sporadic, and isolated zones. These zones range from large expanses of continuous permafrost, covering over 90% of the landscape, to smaller patches in sporadic and isolated zones. Additionally, permafrost exists beneath the seabed in Arctic continental shelves, with vast areas estimated to exceed 400 meters in thickness.

Materials

• aquarium gravel (~ 3 cups)
• crushed ice or ice pellets (~2 cups)
• hot water
• small container with flat top (e.g., mini food container)
• bulls-eye or bubble level
• 2L bottle with top cut off and holes poked around the bottom*
• roasting pan or similar

Procedure

1. Examine the Extent of Permafrost in the Arctic map on the front of the 2024 ESW poster.

• What patterns do you notice in the distribution of permafrost across the Arctic region?
• How might variations in temperature and precipitation influence the extent of permafrost in different areas of the Arctic?

2. Construct a model that examines impacts to communities built on ground containing permafrost using ice, gravel, hot water, and a container.

• Place the bottle in a roasting pan or on a tray.
• To model soil with a layer of permafrost, fill the bottle with half of the gravel, all the ice, and then the remaining gravel.
• Place the small container on top of the gravel to act as a model house. Place a bubble level on top of the container to ensure it is flat.

3. Predict what will happen when hot water is poured into the bottle around the model house. Then, pour the hot water slowly around the model house to represent a warming climate. Consider,

• What did you observe as you poured water around the house?
• How might thawing permafrost impact communities built on Gelisol soils?
• What steps might you take to help mitigate the effects of thawing permafrost on communities?
• How does thawing permafrost affect the Earth systems (hydrosphere, atmosphere, geosphere, and biosphere)?

4. Learn more about permafrost through cartoons, a board game, augmented reality, and more resources from Frozen Ground Cartoons

5. Virtually explore the Permafrost Tunnel Research Facility in Fairbanks, AK

More detailed instructions, discussion questions, and related data for the hands-on warming climate in a permafrost community can be found at Observing Impacts to Communities built on Permafrost.