The Saline Permafrost Action Group has had an active and productive year thus far, advancing collaborative research on the distribution, evolution, and impacts of saline permafrost across the Arctic.
A major recent achievement was the publication of two collaborative studies. The first, published in Nature Communications, synthesized data from 17 Arctic river deltas and demonstrated that Arctic deltas store approximately 57.5 Pg of organic carbon and 3.8 Pg of nitrogen, highlighting the importance of deltaic environments as major carbon reservoirs and emphasizing the role of saline permafrost and cryopeg systems in Arctic delta evolution. The second study, led by Fabian Seemann and colleagues from AWI and published in Biogeosciences, examined organic matter degradation in saline permafrost near Utqiaġvik, Alaska. Using a multiproxy sedimentary approach, the study demonstrated how saline permafrost, cryopegs, and thermokarst processes interact to influence carbon cycling and landscape change in Arctic coastal lowlands.
The Action Group also leveraged extensive international field collaboration during the spring 2026 field season on Alaska’s North Slope. Researchers from the United States, Canada, and Denmark participated in the NSF-funded Thaw Below Zero project, which focused on mapping the extent and variability of saline permafrost using airborne-style and ground-based geophysical surveys, lake investigations, and field observations. More than 550 km of geophysical survey data were collected across the Arctic Coastal Plain, revealing that saline permafrost is widespread and laterally extensive, extending at least 50 km inland in northern Alaska. Preliminary results also indicate important connections between saline permafrost, cryopegs, taliks, thermokarst lakes, and coastal processes.
Looking ahead, the Action Group is preparing a comprehensive review paper on saline permafrost that will synthesize current knowledge of its distribution, origins, geophysical characteristics, ecological significance, and implications for infrastructure and climate feedbacks. The manuscript is planned for submission to Permafrost and Periglacial Processes. The group also hopes to utilize IPA Action Group funds to help support publication costs associated with this review paper.
The Saline Permafrost Action Group remains committed to fostering international collaboration and advancing understanding of this widespread but still understudied component of Arctic permafrost systems.
Fuchs, M., Sachs, T., Jongejans, L. L., Strauss, J., Hugelius, G., Frost, G. V., Jones, B. M., Kokelj, S. V., Kutzbach, L., Nitze, I., Overduin, P. P., Palmtag, J., Ping, C.-L., Pokrovsky, O. S., Rivkina, E., Runge, A., Schirrmeister, L., Schwamborn, G., Siewert, M. B., Treat, C., Veremeeva, A., Zubrzycki, S. & Grosse, G. Accepted. Large stocks of permafrost soil organic carbon and nitrogen in Arctic river deltas. Nature Communications. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-026-73092-2
Seemann, F., Zech, M., Jenrich, M., Grosse, G., Jones, B. M., Treat, C., Schirrmeister, L., Liebner, S., and Strauss, J. 2026. Sedimentary insights into organic matter alteration in Arctic Alaska’s saline permafrost. EGUsphere Biogeosciences, 23, 3675-3695. https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-23-3675-2026
Provided by Benjamin M. Jones