Oases have appeared in the Arctic from permafrost thawing
Bio-Geo-Clim laboratory scientists are studying basins of dried-up khasyrei lakes as oases of highly productive ecosystems in the Arctic zone of Russia. During a recent expedition to Yamal, they discovered a new phenomenon: similar oases are also forming in places of active permafrost melting. This was caused by large doses of micro- and macro-elements entering the soil, which stimulates the active growth of herbs and shrubs.
For the project, we worked in the region where the northernmost settlements of Western Siberia are located — this is the 70th parallel north,- explains Sergey Loiko, project manager and senior researcher at the Bio-Geo-Clim laboratory. —At first, places with increased biological productivity of vegetation were studied only in the khasyreis. Soon, however, near the Soyakha village, we found mounds with small lakes between them, covered with lush vegetation, with maximum grass yields higher than in khasyrei. As it turned out, the “outbreak of life” in the tundra occurred due to thermokarst - melting of underground ice with subsequent uneven subsidence of the soil.
Read more: http://en.tsu.ru/news/oases-have-appeared-in-the-arctic-from-permafrost-thawing/
