Presenter(s): Maya O’boyle − Russian, East European And Eurasian Studies (Reees), International Studies
Faculty Mentor(s): Dave Sutherland
Poster 175
Research Area: Natural/Physical Science (Cryosphere)
Permafrost, a layer of subsurface that remains frozen for two or more uninterrupted years, plays a significant role in the global cryospheric system. Permafrost lends stability to some of the world’s most barren environments, perhaps most important to no other place than Russia, of which it covers “more than 60%” (Anisimov and Reneva 169). This particularly applies
to the Siberian region, whose factories, nuclear plants, large cities, and abundant natural resources remain under threat, vulnerable to permafrost thawing that often leaves the ground unstable, contaminated by leached mercury, and disrupted of vegetation. This permafrost deterioration also impacts the global climate, “acting through release of greenhouse gases to the atmosphere” and accelerating climate change (Anisimov and Reneva 174). However, while many studies have been conducted on thawing impacts, few have explored the roll vegetation can have in preventing permafrost shrinkage, particularly native mosses, which serve as an effective natural insulator. This study will explore the impacts of permafrost thawing on these native mosses, paying particular attention to how thawing affects moss thickness, in order to better understand and predict Siberian climate change. What can studying this moss cover reveal about methods to halting permafrost deterioration and global warming?