Wildfires have caused nearly a quarter of all permafrost thaw—2,000 square kilometres—in Western Canada’s boreal peatlands over the past 30 years, according to a new University of Alberta study.
“Wildfire is a very important force on the landscape, and what we see here is that it continues to have impacts long after the burning is done,” said Carolyn Gibson, who conducted the research as part of her master’s degree studies in the Faculty of Agricultural, Life & Environmental Sciences.
The research, published in Nature Communications, showed that wildfires burning across northern peatlands in Alberta and the Northwest Territories triple the rate of abrupt permafrost thaw for up to 30 years after the fire.
Permafrost, a thick underground layer of soil that remains frozen throughout the year, is crucial for carbon retention, water quality and stability of roads, buildings and other infrastructure.
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Image via University of Alberta.