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permafrost

A bank of this lake thawed in the Gates of the Arctic National Park in Alaska, allowing the Okokmilaga River to cut through and drain it to sea.

Earth’s biggest natural fridge is turning into a greenhouse gas machine

Environment

The Arctic permafrost is like the world’s refrigerator, holding onto and preserving organic material. But when it thaws, as it’s increasingly doing now, microbes in the soil kick into action and produce enormous amounts of greenhouse gases.