Russia’s Batagaika Crater : World’s Largest 1km-Long Permafrost
Russia’s Batagaika crater, the world’s largest 1km-long permafrost crater, expands due to global warming and thawing permafrost.
- Deforestation triggered underground permafrost melting, causing the crater’s growth in the Sakha Republic, Russia.
- It also holds dangerous organic carbon, exacerbating global warming.
- Russia is warming is occurring at an alarming rate, approximately 2.5 times faster than the global average.
- As a result, large areas of the country’s long-frozen tundra, covering about 65% of its landmass, are experiencing significant thawing, releasing potent greenhouse gases like methane.
- Permafrost is any ground that remains completely frozen—32°F (0°C) or colder—for at least two years straight.
- These permanently frozen grounds are most common in regions with high mountains and in Earth’s higher latitudes: near the North and South Poles.
