Alaska’s frozen ground is vanishing, and scientists warn that nearly 40 percent of the state could become unstable by mid-century. Permafrost, long locked beneath the surface, is thawing at an alarming rate as temperatures climb.
The state of Alaska is warming at roughly two to three times the rate of the rest of the United States, and the effects are visible in its terrain. In areas where the ground has long been held together by permafrost, rising temperatures are causing the soil to destabilize. Trees in some forests lean at sharp angles because the ground beneath them is softening. Local residents have referred to thes…