IPCC - Up To 35% Of Northern Permafrost Will Vanish By 2050 - Canoe

[hatrack]

EDIT

Canada's Arctic encompasses 40% of the country's total land mass, and is home to 85,000 people. Its inscrutable mythology has been rhapsodized by writers and interpreted by artists. But the landscape is changing, and scientists have warned for years that the effects of climate change will be felt hardest in the Arctic, while Inuit communities report they are feeling the impacts now.

EDIT

The latest report from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change released Friday, says northern permafrost is projected to decrease by up to 35% by 2050, which could collapse buildings, roads, pipelines and require substantial rebuilding.

Shrinking sea ice will reduce marine habitats for polar bears, seals and seabirds, pushing some toward extinction, shifting Inuit consumption patterns and threatening tradition. Snow density has also changed, Kaludjak said. Previously, hunters used to be able to identify snow patterns and rely on packing snow to build igloos. But it's become increasingly unpredictable, leaving many stranded on land.

Arctic warming is expected to increase warming around the world and cause sea levels to rise, eroding shorelines and coastal cities.

EDIT

http://cnews.canoe.ca/CNEWS/Science/2007/04/08/3953222-sun.html