How have permafrost thaw and thermokarsts affected life in Alaska?
They have affected different places in different ways. For example, a combination of reduced sea ice and permafrost thaw has exacerbated the erosion of the coastal village of Shishmaref. The houses were falling into the ocean and the village, which had been inhabited for 400 years, was forced to relocate. Elsewhere, the sediments from a massive thermokarst have dammed the Selwik River and are affecting the fish population and threatening the livelihood of nearby villages. If the warming trend persists, more and more these incidences will occur. What should people living in permafrost areas be doing to adapt to these changes? The options are rather limited. They could adapt by fishing in rivers that are not affected by thermokarsts; they could move to areas without permafrost threats, which is highly costly. Once permafrost fails, there is no engineering solution to correct that situation. The best way to deal with thermokarsts is to prevent them from happening in the first place. This
