Skip to main content
Log in

Subsidence risk from thawing permafrost

  • Brief Communication
  • Published:

From Nature

View current issue Submit your manuscript

The threat to man-made structures across regions in the far north can be monitored.

Abstract

The thawing and disappearance of permafrost has accelerated in recent decades1, damaging buildings and infrastructure and causing public concern2. Here we offer a geographic overview of the hazard potential associated with thawing permafrost in the Northern Hemisphere which indicates that vulnerability to subsidence is widespread. Much of the existing infrastructure erected in northern regions is located in areas of high hazard potential and could be affected by thaw subsidence under conditions of global warming.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Figure 1: Permafrost hazard potential in the Northern Hemisphere.

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. Serreze, M. C. et al. Climatic Change 46, 159–207 (2000).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  2. Linden, E. Time 156, 52–56 (2000).

    Google Scholar 

  3. Kattenberg, A. et al. in Climate Change 1995: The Science of Climate Change. Contribution of Working Group I to the Second Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (eds Houghton, J. J. et al.) 285–357 (Cambridge Univ. Press, New York, 1996).

    Google Scholar 

  4. Greco, S. et al. & IPCC Working Group II. Climate Scenarios and Socioeconomic Projections for IPCC WG II Assessment (Consortium for International Earth Science Information Network, Washington DC, 1994).

    Google Scholar 

  5. Anisimov, O. A., Shiklomanov, N. I. & Nelson, F. E. Glob. Planet. Change 15, 61–77 (1997).

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  6. Staub, B. & Rosenzweig, C. Global Gridded Data Sets of Soil Type, Soil Texture, Surface Slope and Other Properties (National Center for Atmospheric Research, Boulder, CO, 1987). URL: http://www.ngdc.noaa.gov/seg/eco/cdroms/ged_iia/datasets/a11/sr.htm#top

    Google Scholar 

  7. Brown, J., Ferrians, O. J. J., Heginbottom, J. A. & Melnikov, E. S. International Permafrost Association Circum-Arctic Map of Permafrost and Ground Ice Conditions (scale 1:10,000,000, US Geological Survey Circum-Pacific Map Series, Map CP-45, Reston, VA, 1997). URL: http://www.geodata.soton.ac.uk/ipa/

    Google Scholar 

  8. Monmonier, M. Cartographies of Danger: Mapping Hazards in America (Univ. Chicago Press, 1997).

    Book  Google Scholar 

  9. Anisimov, O. A. & Nelson, F. E. Climatic Change 35, 241–258 (1997).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  10. Riseborough, D. W. in Proc.Fifth Canadian Permafrost Conf. (eds Burgess, M. M., Harry, D. G. & Sego, D. C.) 199–205 (Centre d'études nordiques, Université Laval/National Research Council of Canada, Québec, 1990).

    Google Scholar 

  11. Parmuzin, S. Y. & Shamanova, I. I. Polar Geogr. Geol. 10, 184–193 (1986).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  12. US National Imagery and Mapping Agency. Digital Chart of the World for ADOL (ESRI, Inc., Redlands, CA, 1997). URL: http://www.esri.com/data/online/esri/wobmselect.html

  13. Scripter, M. W. Ann. Assoc. Am. Geogr. 60, 385–393 (1970).

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Frederick E. Nelson.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Nelson, F., Anisimov, O. & Shiklomanov, N. Subsidence risk from thawing permafrost. Nature 410, 889–890 (2001). https://doi.org/10.1038/35073746

Download citation

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/35073746

  • Springer Nature Limited

This article is cited by

Navigation