Permafrost is thawing so quickly in the Arctic it's leaving 'sinkholes'

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According to a new study published in the journal Nature Geoscience on Monday, rapidly-thawing permafrost in the Arctic is effectively causing sinkholes. As plant matter fills then decomposes in the sinkholes, microbes consume it and release gases into the atmosphere, causing carbon emissions to rise.

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"When permafrost thaws, it loses a good amount of its volume. Think of it like thawing ice cubes made of water and muck: If you defrost the tray, the greenery will sink to the bottom and settle. 'That's exactly what happens in these ecosystems when the permafrost has a lot of ice in it and it thaws,' says Turetsky. 'Whatever was at the surface just slumps right down to the bottom. So you get these pits on the land, sometimes meters deep. They're like sinkholes developing in the land.'" — WIRED