While never overshadowing the dominant influence of human activities, additional greenhouse gas emissions from warming Arctic permafrost are expected to accelerate future climate change by 10–20%^1,2,3,4. The Russian Federation contains two-thirds of the northern permafrost area^5,6 and the loss of access to permafrost carbon flux sites and data due to the Russian invasion of Ukraine threatens scientists’ ability to detect this climate feedback.

Scientists are working to improve the Arctic carbon flux network, by increasing the number of sites and pushing the data processing and reporting towards real-time (annual) updates. Analogous to weather monitoring, real-time methane and carbon dioxide measurements do not slow emissions, but instead provide knowledge about the speed and strength of the permafrost carbon feedback to climate change. By 2100, the Arctic is expected to release permafrost carbon with the climate impact of a large, industrialized nation¹, and that must be accounted for as nations around the world determine their own greenhouse gas emission levels aimed at meeting specified temperature targets.

尽管人类活动的主导影响绝不会被掩盖，但北极永久冻土变暖带来的额外温室气体排放预计将使未来气候变化加速 10-20% ^1,2,3,4。俄罗斯联邦拥有北部永久冻土区的三分之二^5,6，由于俄罗斯入侵乌克兰而无法获取永久冻土碳通量地点和数据，这威胁到了科学家检测这种气候反馈的能力。

科学家们正在努力通过增加站点数量并推动数据处理和报告实时（年度）更新来改善北极碳通量网络。与天气监测类似，实时甲烷和二氧化碳测量不会减缓排放，而是提供有关永久冻土碳反馈气候变化的速度和强度的知识。到 2100 年，北极预计将释放永久冻土碳，其气候影响相当于一个工业化大国¹，世界各国在确定自己的温室气体排放水平以达到特定的温度目标时必须考虑到这一点。