What happens when the Arctic permafrost melts? - Brendan Rogers and Jessica Howard?

When the Arctic permafrost melts, it’s like a giant freezer that has been keeping some special treats cold for a very long time, and now those treats are starting to come out.

Permafrost is ground that stays frozen all year round. It's like the soil in your backyard if it was kept in a deep freeze for hundreds of years. But when the temperature gets warmer, just like ice cream melting on a hot day, the permafrost starts to melt, and things that were trapped inside come out.

When the permafrost melts, it lets out old carbon dioxide and methane, which are gases that make Earth get warmer. Think of it like a soda bottle that has been sealed for ages, when you open it, fizz starts to come out.

Also, some really old plants and animals that were frozen in the ground can start to rot, releasing more gases. It’s like leaving your lunch in the sun, it gets smelly and starts to break down.

This whole process makes Earth get warmer even faster, kind of like a snowball rolling downhill, getting bigger as it goes.