Permafrost scientist's viral Bluesky post spotlights Alaska's thawing bogs
A researcher's field photos of collapsing Alaskan permafrost draw a large Bluesky discussion on methane release, disease risk and climate grief.
What to know
- A separate Phys.org report ties permafrost thaw to increased earthquake hazard risk in the Arctic, as thawing ground loses the structural stability ice once provided.
- A permafrost scientist's Bluesky post about collapsing Alaskan bogs and her book 'Bogland' drew over 1,000 likes and dozens of comments, becoming the main site of public discussion.
- Commenters raised specific secondary risks beyond warming itself, including methane release, ancient pathogens (e.g., anthrax), sinking infrastructure, and sea-level rise.
- The scientist says her book balances documented grief with a chapter on reasons for hope in northern peatlands, and plans to post more on permafrost thaw and wildfires.
The dispute Most commenters treat human-driven permafrost thaw as an urgent, worsening crisis, while at least one voice argues humans aren't the main driver and future space industry will offset the damage. · positions read across 29 posts and comments
Permafrost thaw is an alarming, near-existential threat via methane release, disease and sea-level rise.
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“it's just a question of which of the methane gas releases, the mutant diseases or the rising of the sea levels l get us first once the permafrost thawing gets to us.”
asparagusnextleft.bsky.social · Bluesky ↗
Grateful for the scientist's clear explanation and personal fieldwork, and moved emotionally by it.
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“That is so unbelievably helpful and important. ... Enabled me to feel as though the bog under my feet, under “our feet ” is subsiding. Thank you!”
curiouscompany.ooo · Bluesky ↗
Raising specific technical or practical questions about hazards and fieldwork rather than general alarm.
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“Is there also a danger of anthrax bacteria ?”
smolkawilly.bsky.social · Bluesky ↗
Downplays human responsibility, suggesting other factors or future technology will offset the problem.
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“Given we just put into space an instrument to detect tree and carbon relations I think we will find ultimately we aren't the main source for climate change eitherway asteroid mining and industralization/colonizing space would offset any of…”
bluntman420762.bsky.social · Bluesky ↗
queenofpeat.bsky.social Permafrost scientist and author of 'Bogland'International research team Authors of the earthquake-permafrost study covered by Phys.org
How it unfolded 6 developments, newest first · click a bar or a number to jump articlespostscomments
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6
Long-term researchers and residents corroborate decades of thaw
Commenters share personal and institutional evidence of long-running thaw, including a 40-year thaw-depth record at Toolik Lake Field Station and accounts of homes and a hospital in Bethel, Alaska requiring engineering to counter sinking ground.
“Confirmed. We've got at least a 40 year record of thaw depth at Toolik [Lake] Field Station (north of Brooks Range along the Dalton Highway.”
— jhatman.bsky.social -
Another contributing factor to methane release.
2 more of the top 3 · 6 posts in this stretch
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Confirmed. We've got at least a 40 year record of thaw depth at Toolik [Lake] Field Station (north of Brooks Range along the Dalton Highway.
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Unbelievably helpful — what else can we that probe? I have a few ideas on how it might help climate change deniers.
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5
Author engages replies, promises more posts and notes hope alongside grief
queenofpeat thanks commenters, recalls a 20-year-old field campaign with a Siberian scientist that helped establish permafrost thaw in both regions, and says her book also covers reasons for hope.
“There is also a lof hope to be found in northern peatlands - I promise! This is a whole chapter of this in my book- the tension between grief and hope.”
— queenofpeat.bsky.social -
That is so unbelievably helpful and important. I have not seen that brief and succinct an articulation of the Boreal condition. Enabled me to feel as though the bog under my feet, under “our feet ” is subsiding. Thank you!
2 more of the top 3 · 16 posts in this stretch
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Q
I am so glad it was helpful. I will post more about permafrost thaw and also severe wildfires.
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Yes in fact 20+ yrs ago, when I was a graduate student, I met another young woman scientist from Siberia working on similar issues. We led a field campaign there to prove both regions were experiencing permafrost thaw. Back then we didn’t really know. I lost touch with her, but think of her often.
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Commenters voice alarm over methane, disease and sea-level risk
A wave of replies raises fears that permafrost thaw could release methane and unknown pathogens and contribute to sea-level rise, with several commenters framing the trend as an existential threat.
“it's just a question of which of the methane gas releases, the mutant diseases or the rising of the sea levels l get us first once the permafrost thawing gets to us.”
— asparagusnextleft.bsky.social -
it's just a question of which of the methane gas releases, the mutant diseases or the rising of the sea levels l get us first once the permafrost thawing gets to us.
2 more of the top 3 · 5 posts in this stretch
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Kudos! You are truly on the front line. I weep for the Arctic National Refuge and other regions being attacked by climate change and this criminal regime.
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R
Yeah, my first thought was also methane release and emergent microorganisms.
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3
Author locates her field site near Eielson Air Force Base
Responding to a question, queenofpeat specifies the location of her fieldwork as southwest of Fairbanks, near Eielson Air Force Base.
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Southwest of Fairbanks. Eielson Air Force Base.
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2
Scientist posts field account of collapsing Alaskan permafrost bogs
queenofpeat.bsky.social posts about trekking across collapsing permafrost bogs in Alaska and promotes her book 'Bogland,' which also covers underground zombie fires that smolder through winter.
“Permafrost (frozen ground) is thawing, triggering huge changes across Alaskan landscapes.”
— queenofpeat.bsky.social -
Permafrost (frozen ground) is thawing, triggering huge changes across Alaskan landscapes. Find out how and why as I trek across collapsing permafrost bogs. I write more about this and other climate trends like underground zombie fires that outlast winter in Bogland (
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- 3 days quiet
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Research team links permafrost thaw to amplified earthquake damage
Phys.org reports on an international research team's study of how thawing permafrost, which normally binds Arctic ground like cement, becomes weak and unstable and can trigger cascading natural hazards during earthquakes.
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first by Phys.org, 16d ago
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What people are saying 12 voices from 1 site · best of 29 · verbatim
- Is there a danger of anthrax or other ancient pathogens being released from thawing permafrost?
- Is the methane being released organic decomposition, or coming from deeper geological reserves?
- What field equipment (soil probes, peat corers) works best for measuring peat depth without heavy gear?
- Sep 12
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And finding more diseases that were inactive until now, than we won't know how to handle.
- Sep 11
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Is there also a danger of anthrax bacteria ?
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Your fix the Permafrost project could come to an abrupt halt Doctor, if you keep tip toeing around on it. You young folks need to be careful💙🌍💙 OH and thank you for what you do.👊
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Well, that’s a follow. Thanks so much for the great demonstration and explanation! I was blessed to spend time in Wood Buffalo National Park and was fascinated by the complex boreal landscape above and below the surface. Looking forward to learning more.
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When the hospital in Bethel, Alaska, was being built, the design included keeping the permafrost beneath the building frozen so that the entire structure would not sink into the ground. Many homes there are built on pilings and occasionally need to be re-leveled as the permafrost thaws.
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Insane. I lived up there 30 years ago for a few years (loved it!), this is heart breaking, not just for Alaska and its people, but the entire planet.
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Given we just put into space an instrument to detect tree and carbon relations I think we will find ultimately we aren't the main source for climate change eitherway asteroid mining and industralization/colonizing space would offset any of our problematic contributions and reverse eventually
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That is going to get worse and worse, and the CO2 release will be added to the ocean's CO2, will be added to man made CO2. So that 430ppm up from average 280ppm for 800,000 years will be increasing.
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I can't watch any more... but the discovery feed keeps pushing the trauma my way.
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Kudos for you doing your work amongst all those mosquitoes.
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Does that brand of soil probe allow for extensions? It looks lighter than a Russian peat corer. I’m looking for options to measure peat depth and not lug heavy equipment to remote sites. Thanks!
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My dad studied these bogs back in the 70's. I never thought I'd be thankful he didn't live to see them now