When higher surface temperatures cause snow covering the upper permafrost layers to melt, the darker newly-exposed layers absorb more sunlight and start to thaw themselves, initiating a positive feedback loop where once a permafrost layer has thawed more than usual, it is much more likely to continue doing so in subsequent years.
causalpending
Speaker
SciShow NarratorEvidence Quote
“higher surface temperature might cause the snow that's covering the upper permafrost layers to melt. And without the snow to reflect the Sun's toasty light back into space, the darker, newly-exposed layers would absorb more light and start to thaw themselves. And once a layer of permafrost has done a bit more thawing than usual, it's much more likely to continue doing so in subsequent years.”
Created: 8/11/2026, 1:13:07 AM
My Notes
Loading notes...