The Batagaika crater, the world’s biggest permafrost crater, situated in Russia’s Far East is thawing, reported Reuters on Friday (July 21), which has led scientists to raise an alarm as this “mega slump” already threatens cities and towns across northern and northeastern Russia.&nbsp;

<h2>What is a permafrost crater?</h2>

According to NASA, permafrost is any ground that remains completely frozen at zero degrees Celsius for at least two years straight. These permanently frozen grounds are made with a combination of soil, rocks and sand held together by ice.&nbsp;

Permafrosts are most common in regions near the North and South poles and cover large parts of the Earth, according to the American space agency. Notably, almost a quarter of the land area in the Northern Hemisphere has permafrost underneath but while the ground is frozen the regions with permafrost are not always covered in snow.&nbsp;

<h2>‘Gateway to the underworld’</h2>

Locals near the Batagaika crater call the one-kilometre-long massive gash in the Siberian landscape the “gateway to the underworld.” The crater which first began to appear in the 1960s was a result of deforestation in the area which led to the loss of ground ice that in turn caused the Earth to erode and the land to sink.&nbsp;

“We locals call it ‘the cave-in’,” local resident and crater explorer Erel Struchkov told Reuters. “It developed in the 1970s, first as a ravine. Then by thawing in the heat of sunny days, it started to expand,” he added.

The locals have also noted the crater’s rapid growth. “(Two years ago the edge) was about 20-30 metres away from this path. And now, apparently, it is much closer,” said Struchkov, according to Reuters.&nbsp;

<h2>Scientists raise alarm over ‘mega-slump’</h2>

What locals in Russia’s Sakha Republic call the “gateway to the underworld” scientists called “a mega-slump,” is growing. A report by Reuters citing Russian scientists said that the country is warming at least 2.5 times faster than the rest of the world. This is also melting the long-frozen tundra that covers about 65 per cent of the world’s largest country in terms of land area.&nbsp;

Nikita Tananayev, lead researcher at the Melnikov Permafrost Institute in Yakutsk, said the slump’s expansion is “a sign of danger.”&nbsp;

Recently, this expansion has threatened to affect cities and towns across&nbsp;northern and northeastern Russia&nbsp;by buckling roadways, splitting apart houses, and disrupting pipelines, reported Reuters.&nbsp;

Additionally, the vast wildfires which have intensified recently have reportedly exacerbated the problem. “In future, with increasing temperatures and with higher anthropogenic pressure, we will see more and more of those mega-slumps forming, until all the permafrost is gone,” Tananayev told Reuters.&nbsp;

<h2>Thawing permafrost to fuel climate change</h2>

While the exact expansion rate of the Batagaika crater remains unknown, the Russian scientist said the soil under the slump, which is about 100 metres deep in some places, contains an “enormous quantity” of organic carbon. This is releasing greenhouse gases stored in the thawed soil into the atmosphere further fuelling the planet’s warming.&nbsp;

“With an increasing air temperature we can expect (the crater) will be expanding at a higher rate,” Tananayev told Reuters, adding that it will lead to more climate warming in the upcoming years. &nbsp; 
&nbsp;

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The Batagaika crater, the world’s biggest permafrost crater, situated in Russia’s Far East is thawing, reported Reuters on Friday (July 21), which has led scientists to raise an alarm as this “mega slump” already threatens cities and towns across northern and northeastern Russia.

The Batagaika crater, the world’s biggest permafrost crater, situated in Russia’s Far East is thawing, reported Reuters on Friday (July 21), which has led scientists to raise an alarm as this “mega slump” already threatens cities and towns across northern and northeastern Russia. What is a permafrost crater? According to NASA, permafrost is any ground that remains completely frozen at zero degrees Celsius for at least two years straight. These permanently frozen grounds are made with a combination of soil, rocks and sand held together by ice. Permafrosts are most common in regions near the North and South poles and cover large parts of the Earth, according to the American space agency. Notably, almost a quarter of the land area in the Northern Hemisphere has permafrost underneath but while the ground is frozen the regions with permafrost are not always covered in snow. ‘Gateway to the underworld’ Locals near the Batagaika crater call the one-kilometre-long massive gash in the Siberian landscape the “gateway to the underworld.” The crater which first began to appear in the 1960s was a result of deforestation in the area which led to the loss of ground ice that in turn caused the Earth to erode and the land to sink. “We locals call it ‘the cave-in’,” local resident and crater explorer Erel Struchkov told Reuters. “It developed in the 1970s, first as a ravine. Then by thawing in the heat of sunny days, it started to expand,” he added. The locals have also noted the crater’s rapid growth. “(Two years ago the edge) was about 20-30 metres away from this path. And now, apparently, it is much closer,” said Struchkov, according to Reuters. Scientists raise alarm over ‘mega-slump’ What locals in Russia’s Sakha Republic call the “gateway to the underworld” scientists called “a mega-slump,” is growing. A report by Reuters citing Russian scientists said that the country is warming at least 2.5 times faster than the rest of the world. This is also melting the long-frozen tundra that covers about 65 per cent of the world’s largest country in terms of land area. Nikita Tananayev, lead researcher at the Melnikov Permafrost Institute in Yakutsk, said the slump’s expansion is “a sign of danger.” Recently, this expansion has threatened to affect cities and towns across northern and northeastern Russia by buckling roadways, splitting apart houses, and disrupting pipelines, reported Reuters. Additionally, the vast wildfires which have intensified recently have reportedly exacerbated the problem. “In future, with increasing temperatures and with higher anthropogenic pressure, we will see more and more of those mega-slumps forming, until all the permafrost is gone,” Tananayev told Reuters. Thawing permafrost to fuel climate change While the exact expansion rate of the Batagaika crater remains unknown, the Russian scientist said the soil under the slump, which is about 100 metres deep in some places, contains an “enormous quantity” of organic carbon. This is releasing greenhouse gases stored in the thawed soil into the atmosphere further fuelling the planet’s warming. “With an increasing air temperature we can expect (the crater) will be expanding at a higher rate,” Tananayev told Reuters, adding that it will lead to more climate warming in the upcoming years. WATCH WION LIVE HERE You can now write for wionews.com and be a part of the community. Share your stories and opinions with us here.

World’s biggest permafrost crater thaws due to climate change, threatens Russian cities

What image does the name 'woolly mammoth' bring to your mind? Huge, majestic creatures with giant tusks walking an Earth yet untouched by modern humans.&nbsp;

They last walked that walk a million years back and since then the majestic animals have lain silent and mostly undisturbed in their permafrost graves. But, now curious scientists have decided to disturb their slumber and attempt to 'reawaken' ancient, Stone Age viruses.

Watch |&nbsp;WION Climate Tracker: Scientists revive 48,500-year-old ‘zombie virus’ buried in ice

<iframe allowfullscreen="" autoplay="1" frameborder="0" height="350" src="https://www.wionews.com/videos/wion-climate-tracker-scientists-revive-48500-year-old-zombie-virus-buried-in-ice-538846/embed" width="560"></iframe>

As per researchers, northeast Siberia is home to the remains of the woolly mammoth, the woolly rhinoceros, other extinct species and...dormant ancient viruses.

The project is being carried out by Vector or Russia's State Research Centre of Virology and Biotechnology and as per Daily Mail, it aims to extract cellular material that contains viruses that killed the giant beasts and perform experiments on them in a lab.

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/science/skorea-reports-first-death-by-naegleria-fowleri-heres-all-you-need-to-know-about-the-brain-eating-amoeba-547004">S.Korea reports first death by Naegleria fowleri. Here's all you need to know about the 'brain-eating amoeba'</a>

However, there's concern that given the fact that the human bodies of today are strangers to these prehistoric 'paleoviruses' and if they were to jump the species barrier, the coronavirus pandemic may end up looking like the less deadly outbreak.&nbsp;

Given that the woolly mammoth were huge animals the size of today's elephants which are much larger than an average human, the viruses that killed them are definitely a cause of concern.

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/science/china-a-fertile-breeding-ground-for-a-potentially-dangerous-covid-mutation-experts-546567">China a 'fertile breeding ground' for a potentially dangerous Covid mutation: Experts</a>

The scientific community too has raised the alarm. &nbsp;Jean-Michel Claverie, a professor of microbiology at the University of Aix-Marseille in France said that the Russian research "is terrible. I'm totally against it".

He added that it "is very, very risky. Our immune systems have never encountered these types of viruses. Some of them could be 200,000 or even 400,000 years old. But ancient viruses that infected animals or humans could still be infectious."

But the sad truth is that even without Vector's reawakening of the ancient viruses chances are something deadly will slip out of the Arctic's frozen waters sooner or later. As global warming slowly melts permafrost the global scientific community has already raised alarm over deadly diseases that may escape their "frozen prisons".

(With inputs from agencies)

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What image does the name 'woolly mammoth' bring to your mind? Huge, majestic creatures with giant tusks walking an Earth yet untouched by modern humans. They last walked that walk a million years back and since then the majestic animals have lain silent and mostly undisturbed in their permafrost graves.

What image does the name 'woolly mammoth' bring to your mind? Huge, majestic creatures with giant tusks walking an Earth yet untouched by modern humans. They last walked that walk a million years back and since then the majestic animals have lain silent and mostly undisturbed in their permafrost graves. But, now curious scientists have decided to disturb their slumber and attempt to 'reawaken' ancient, Stone Age viruses. Watch | WION Climate Tracker: Scientists revive 48,500-year-old ‘zombie virus’ buried in ice As per researchers, northeast Siberia is home to the remains of the woolly mammoth, the woolly rhinoceros, other extinct species and...dormant ancient viruses. The project is being carried out by Vector or Russia's State Research Centre of Virology and Biotechnology and as per Daily Mail, it aims to extract cellular material that contains viruses that killed the giant beasts and perform experiments on them in a lab. Also read | S.Korea reports first death by Naegleria fowleri. Here's all you need to know about the 'brain-eating amoeba' However, there's concern that given the fact that the human bodies of today are strangers to these prehistoric 'paleoviruses' and if they were to jump the species barrier, the coronavirus pandemic may end up looking like the less deadly outbreak. Given that the woolly mammoth were huge animals the size of today's elephants which are much larger than an average human, the viruses that killed them are definitely a cause of concern. Also read | China a 'fertile breeding ground' for a potentially dangerous Covid mutation: Experts The scientific community too has raised the alarm. Jean-Michel Claverie, a professor of microbiology at the University of Aix-Marseille in France said that the Russian research "is terrible. I'm totally against it". He added that it "is very, very risky. Our immune systems have never encountered these types of viruses. Some of them could be 200,000 or even 400,000 years old. But ancient viruses that infected animals or humans could still be infectious." But the sad truth is that even without Vector's reawakening of the ancient viruses chances are something deadly will slip out of the Arctic's frozen waters sooner or later. As global warming slowly melts permafrost the global scientific community has already raised alarm over deadly diseases that may escape their "frozen prisons". (With inputs from agencies) WATCH WION LIVE HERE You can now write for wionews.com and be a part of the community. Share your stories and opinions with us here.

Russian researchers attempt to 're-awaken' ancient viruses that killed giant woolly mammoths

Burning, drifting, and being devoured by insects, Canada’s Boreal forest is shrinking and climate change is to blame.

Second&nbsp;only to the South American Amazon forest, the Boreal forest is vital to ensuring the future of planet Earth, reports AFP.&nbsp;The forest which encircles the arctic and stretches across Canada, Scandinavia, Russia and Alaska has in recent times been weakened by forest fires, the melting of permafrost, an insect infestation, warming temperatures and drifting trees.

Watch |&nbsp;WION Climate Tracker: Next pandemic to come from melting glaciers? New virus threat as Arctic melts

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As per AFP experts have categorically warned that “the forest is encroaching on the tundra, and the prairies are slowly taking the place of the trees.”

With the rising temperatures “drunken trees” have become a common phenomenon; trees are tilted sideways due to the melting permafrost. Eventually, the soil will completely erode and the fauna will tumble down.

Edmonton-based researcher for the natural resources ministry warns "You have the potential for large shifts," adding that some areas might be flooded and even lose forests, which can eventually turn into bogs or swamps, and lakes.

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/science/climate-change-effect-snow-white-alps-turning-green-says-study-after-analysing-satellite-data-484609">Climate change effect: ‘Snow-white' Alps turning green, says study after analysing satellite data</a>

The degradation of permafrost is behind this “buckling and sinking”, ground which for the past two years has remained frozen is thawing.

With it, bacteria are eating away at the biomass collected over thousands of years, generating carbon, and methane emissions which are then contributing to the acceleration of global warming.

Data collected by Global Forest Watch, the World Resources Institute, and the University of Maryland also revealed that extreme heat waves are five times more likely today than 150 years ago.

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/photos/how-climate-change-will-impact-the-worlds-regions-differently-457772">How climate change will impact the world's regions differently</a>

The higher temperatures have also brought on another problem: insect infestations, which are quickly eating away at the trees.

Fauna, already weakened by the droughts brought on by heatwaves struggle to fend off bugs that exploit the longer summers and warmer winters.

Scientists as per AFP say that for now there’s still hope for the ecosystem's continued resilience, even as they ponder whether the forest’s “tipping point”, a threshold after which emissions will be inevitable and changes to the ecosystem irreversible is approaching.

(With inputs from agencies)

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Burning, drifting, and being devoured by insects, Canada’s Boreal forest is shrinking and climate change is to blame. Second only to the South American Amazon forest, the Boreal forest is vital to ensuring the future of planet Earth, reports AFP.

Burning, drifting, and being devoured by insects, Canada’s Boreal forest is shrinking and climate change is to blame. Second only to the South American Amazon forest, the Boreal forest is vital to ensuring the future of planet Earth, reports AFP. The forest which encircles the arctic and stretches across Canada, Scandinavia, Russia and Alaska has in recent times been weakened by forest fires, the melting of permafrost, an insect infestation, warming temperatures and drifting trees. Watch | WION Climate Tracker: Next pandemic to come from melting glaciers? New virus threat as Arctic melts As per AFP experts have categorically warned that “the forest is encroaching on the tundra, and the prairies are slowly taking the place of the trees.” With the rising temperatures “drunken trees” have become a common phenomenon; trees are tilted sideways due to the melting permafrost. Eventually, the soil will completely erode and the fauna will tumble down. Edmonton-based researcher for the natural resources ministry warns "You have the potential for large shifts," adding that some areas might be flooded and even lose forests, which can eventually turn into bogs or swamps, and lakes. Also read | Climate change effect: ‘Snow-white' Alps turning green, says study after analysing satellite data The degradation of permafrost is behind this “buckling and sinking”, ground which for the past two years has remained frozen is thawing. With it, bacteria are eating away at the biomass collected over thousands of years, generating carbon, and methane emissions which are then contributing to the acceleration of global warming. Data collected by Global Forest Watch, the World Resources Institute, and the University of Maryland also revealed that extreme heat waves are five times more likely today than 150 years ago. Also read | How climate change will impact the world's regions differently The higher temperatures have also brought on another problem: insect infestations, which are quickly eating away at the trees. Fauna, already weakened by the droughts brought on by heatwaves struggle to fend off bugs that exploit the longer summers and warmer winters. Scientists as per AFP say that for now there’s still hope for the ecosystem's continued resilience, even as they ponder whether the forest’s “tipping point”, a threshold after which emissions will be inevitable and changes to the ecosystem irreversible is approaching. (With inputs from agencies) WATCH WION LIVE HERE You can now write for wionews.com and be a part of the community. Share your stories and opinions with us here.

Global warming slowly devastating Boreal forest a.k.a. Earth's second lung

According to a new scientific data, thawing permafrost could put as much as 50 percent of Arctic infrastructure at high risk of damage by 2050.

Report: Permafrost thaw threatening homes, infrastructure in Arctic

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permafrost thaw

World’s biggest permafrost crater thaws due to climate change, threatens Russian cities

Russian researchers attempt to 're-awaken' ancient viruses that killed giant woolly mammoths

Global warming slowly devastating Boreal forest a.k.a. Earth's second lung

Report: Permafrost thaw threatening homes, infrastructure in Arctic