Permafrost Carbon Network

The Permafrost Carbon Network is an open network encouraging interested scientists to participate in all ongoing synthesis activities. Members of the steering committee have given numerous presentations at national and international conferences presenting activities and results from synthesis activities of the Permafrost Carbon Network. A broad scientific audience is being reached by organizing permafrost focused sessions at national and international research conferences. Over the last five years, the Permafrost Carbon Network has organized a number of different sessions and will continue hosting sessions at upcoming conferences.

Session Organization

5-Year synthesis report, published 2015

American Geophysical Union 2011-2022, various locations in the US or virtually
Vulnerability of Permafrost Carbon to Climate Change

European Geosciences Union, 2012-2014, Vienna, Austria
Assessing the effects of global warming on permafrost degradation - contributions from field studies, remote sensing and modelling

Our Common Future under Climate Change 2015, Paris, France
Biogeochemical Feedbacks to Climate Change

XI. International Conference on Permafrost 2016, Potsdam, Germany
Climate Change and the Permafrost Carbon Feedback: Past, Present, and Future

2nd Asian Conference on Permafrost 2017, Sapporo, Japan
Climate Change and the Carbon Balance in Permafrost

5-Year Synthesis Report

The content of this report highlights the results of 5-years of synthesis research.

Prepared by Christina Schädel, A. David McGuire, Edward AG Schuur with contributions from members of the Permafrost Carbon Network

Download the report here.

Guest editors for special issue

Focus on Changing Permafrost in a Warming World: Observation and Implication Environmental Research Letters: Published papers 25+

Guest editors:
Edward AG Schuur, Guido Grosse, A.David McGuire, Vladimir Romanovsky, Scott Goetz

Public Engagement

As part of our outreach activities, members of the steering committee and the entire Permafrost Carbon Network have given input to many press releases, interviews and have written articles and blog posts for a broad audience. News articles have appeared in news services such as The Washington Post, The New York Times, The Globe and Mail, Syndey Morning Herald, The Guardian, Science Magazine, Daily Californian, The Economist, Climate Central. The items listed below are an extract only of public engagment activities related to Permafrost Carbon Network activities.

Articles and blogposts

Arctic Answers: Climate Change and the Permafrost Carbon Feedback

Arctic Answers: How is Permafrost Degradation affecting infrastructure?

Arctic Answers: How is Permafrost Degradation affecting ecosystem services?

Frozen Ground
Research Coordination Network on the vulnerability of permafrost carbon, 2011
Short communication on network related activities: research coordination network on the vulnerability of permafrost carbon, 2013

The Carbon Brief:
What the latest science says about thawing permafrost, 2015

The irreversible emissions of a permafrost tipping point, 2020

World Wildlife Foundation
The Circle. Permafrost carbon and climate change, 2015

Decision maker support

Over the last years, the PI's of the network and members of the steeering committee have contributed to multiple reports, round table discussions, and congressional briefings:

National and International synthesis science reports

IPCC Special Report on the Ocean and Cryosphere in a Changing Climate (2019, Schuur lead author of chapter 3, Polar Regions and Schädel is contributing author). Read the Report here

IPCC Special Report on Global Warming of 1.5°C (2018, Schädel was a contributing author). Read the report here

2nd State of the Carbon Cycle Report (2018, Schuur is lead author of chapter on Arctic and Boreal Carbon and Schädel is contributing author). Read the report here

Policy Implications of Warming Permafrost: Read the report here.

Snow, Ice, Water, and Permafrost in the Arctic (SWIPA), prepared by thge Arctic Monitoring and Assessment Program, Arctic Council. Read more here