Everthing is collapsing. Houses collapse, trees fall over, and giant potholes in the ground. Could Alaska be sinking ?
Scientist think they know what happened. Warmer temperatures may be causing Alaska's frozen ground to thaw. Almost eight-five percent of Alaska's land surface has permafrost. Permafrost is a part of the ground that is always frozen.
Permafrost supportsthe ground above it. That includes trees, houses, and roads. If the permafrost thaws, the round can collapse.
" When huge pieces in permafrost , which can be as large as a house, melt the ground collapses and big holes form. Where there is a house where the holes form, the house collapses, too. Then there are huge pot holes, " Gunter Weller of the Cooperative Institute for Artic Research said.
But why is the permafrost thawing ?
Some scientist say that human-caused pollution is leading to global warming. Most scientist agree that Alaska has been getting warmer. They say the warmer temperature is causng permafrost to thaw in some areas.
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