Pingos in Alaska's Arctic

Description

Pingos are hills that rise abruptly out of flat landscapes of the Alaskan arctic. When lakes dry up, the unfrozen ground that was once protected beneath the lake is exposed and freezes. The ice expands upward, and ping! The result is a pingo. Pingos provide important habitat for foxes and other arctic animals. As permafrost thaws, pingos collapse. NPS scientists are monitoring Alaska's permafrost by mapping landforms like pingos, wedges, and thaw slumps.

Duration

58.542 seconds

Credit

Dave Swanson

Date Created

07/06/2023

Copyright and Usage Info

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