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Researchers predict that there will be new permafrost changes in northern Alaska. Its "far-reaching effects will come sooner than expected," according to scienceworldreport.  

The Deadhorse research site in Alaska showed that its mean annual ground temperature was 17.6 degrees Fahrenheit in 1988, and has risen to 28.5º F.

It is expected that the average annual ground temperature will be 32° F, the melting point of ice, in many areas, say researchers.

"The temperature of permafrost is rapidly changing. For the last 30 years, the mean annual ground temperature at the top of permafrost on the North Slope has been rising," Vladimir Romanovsky, author of the study, said in a news release. "We believe this will be before 2100 at many locations within the North Slope."

Romanovsky is the head of the Permafrost Laboratory at the University of Alaska Fairbanks Geophysical Institute. With his team from UAF, he used data gathered from many models and also from on-the-ground observations to predict what would be the effect of climate changes on permafrost.

Two predictions were made. Firstly, that carbon dioxide emissions may come down, leading to even out the levels by 2050, making it remain constant till the end of the century.

"In this scenario we will see substantial thawing of permafrost on Alaska's North Slope, but only in certain areas, particularly the foothills north of the Brooks Range," Romanovsky said.

The second possibility is that global CO2 emissions might continue and lead to permafrost thawing on the North Slope, after which the temperature would accelerate. More than half the permafrost on the North Slope will be thawing by 2100, said researchers.

"Under these conditions, the permafrost will become unstable beneath any infrastructure such as roads, pipelines and buildings," Romanovsky said. "The result will be dramatic effects on infrastructure and ecosystems."

The thawing is expected to make the infrastructure tough to run, says Romanovsky. It will also change ice-rich soils and impact landscapes by changing water distribution channels, and vegetation, affecting the life around it.

"There is a huge demand for better information about permafrost," said Kevin Schaefer from the National Snow and Ice Data Center at the University of Colorado Boulder. Schaefer said that the U.S. requires a "permafrost forecasting system".

"What we need is an operational forecast that occurs every year, projecting out at least one year but probably up to a decade," Schaefer said. "People who maintain and build infrastructure in Alaska need to know what the thaw depth is going to be so they can plan."