Unprecedented Arctic wildfires
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Wildfires ravaging parts of the Arctic are threatening to accelerate the melting of ice and permafrost – the permanently frozen ground layer – releasing greenhouse gases stored for thousands of years
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Alaska: 700,000 hectares burnt – one of worst fire years on record
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Siberia: 2.4 million hectares burnt – more than 140 million tonnes of carbon dioxide released
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Northwest Territories: At least 45,500 hectares burned
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Qeqqata
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SIBERIA
CANADA
RUSSIA
Moscow
GREENLAND
ICELAND
Arctic Circle
Arctic Ocean
Permafrost
Bering Sea
Beaufort Sea
North Pole

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Fires as at August 4 
Continuous permafrost 
Discontinuous permafrost 
Sporadic permafrost 
Isolated patches
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Permafrost: Frozen soil, rock and plant material remaining below 0°C for at least two years.

As permafrost thaws, microbes decompose organic material, releasing carbon dioxide and methane into atmosphere
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Sources: NASA Worldview, Tass, World Meteorological Organization © GRAPHIC NEWS
Barents Sea