Siberian permafrost is rapidly melting in an unusually hot summer

A heat wave hit Siberia: in the Russian Arctic region it was warmer than ever in May. According to scientists from the European Copernicus program, who are researching the Earth and the climate, in some parts of Siberia it got on average 10 degrees warmer than it used to be.

In the village of Chatanga, where the temperature is normally around freezing in May, it even rose to 25 degrees by the end of that month. June also promises to start in the records as a warm month. Temperatures of 30 degrees have already been measured in a single place.

According to the Copernicus researchers, Siberia heats up faster than the rest of the Earth and large temperature fluctuations are not uncommon there. It has been warmer there for years than before. However, it is unusual for the average higher temperatures to last longer, the scientists say.

The consequences of the relatively high temperatures in Siberia are great. For example, more and more forest fires are raging in the area. Farmers often light the trees themselves to make pieces of land suitable for agriculture, but the heat and strong wind make the fires more uncontrollable.

The Siberian silk moth is also a danger to the forests. The animal thrives at higher temperatures. A moth expert previously told AFP news agency that he had never seen such fast-growing and large moths in his career. The larvae of the insect feeds on the needles of coniferous trees.

And then there is the permafrost, the permanently frozen surface that normally covers a large part of Siberia. It thaws due to the heat. And that has two important consequences. First of all, the buildings on it can subside and cracks can develop in the pipelines in the ground.