Rising temperatures have a strong impact in the arctic zone, where the southern limit of permafrost is moving north and leading to changes in the landscape . Thawing of the permafrost leads to increased erosion and runoff and changes in the geomorphology and vegetation of arctic peatlands . Permafrost thawing has led to the expansion of lakes in the Tibetan Plateau . As northern high-latitude peatlands store a large amount of carbon, permafrost thawing can increase methane and carbon dioxide emissions . This represents a major gap in our understanding of the rates of change and their consequences for freshwater ecosystems.
IPCC
Climate Change 2022: Impacts, Adaptation and Vulnerability
IPCC Report