From Alaska to Siberia, permafrost (the ground that remains continuously frozen for more than 2 years) has been holding significantly more carbon (remains of plant and dead animal bodies) than it is released by humans in the entire human history (Ancient Carbon!).

Permafrost is warming three to four times faster than the rest of the world. A thawing permafrost soil provides a perfect environment for methanogenic microbes that produce methane (CH4). Methane is 25 times as potent as carbon dioxide (CO2) in trapping heat and is much more dangerous for global warming. It is projected that permafrost will emit more carbon than the USA (the second-largest carbon emitter in the world) by 2100.

Despite this, Permafrost thawing is largely missed in climate modeling, due to the lack of a monitoring system in the remote and harsh environment of arctic and sub-arctic regions. It is important to know where and how fast permafrost is thawing. Change in the surface soil moisture is an indicator of thawing and can be measured through microwave satellite observations. However, the current satellite soil moisture data retrieval algorithm is not designed for northern latitude and its unique characteristics (e.g., high organic matter and dynamic water bodies).

In my research, I am developing and validating a high-resolution satellite soil moisture product tailored for monitoring northern latitude (poleward of 60°N) by combining observations from multiple NASA and ESA (European Space Agency) satellite sensors. Our work would help prevent a significant miscalculation in carbon emission and the corresponding global emission reduction policies.