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Science 14 March 2003:
Vol. 299. no. 5613, pp. 1673 - 1675
DOI: 10.1126/science.1081111
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Perspectives

Also see the archival list of Science's Compass: Enhanced Perspectives

GEOCRYOLOGY:
Enhanced: (Un)frozen in Time

Frederick E. Nelson

Permafrost regions occupy nearly a quarter of Earth's terrestrial surface. The extent of subarctic permafrost has been reduced significantly during the past century, leading to widespread subsidence and damage to roads and buildings. In his Perspective, Nelson reports from a recent meeting on permafrost and its roles in environmental change. He concludes that one of the greatest challenges in the field is to separate climate-induced impacts from local anthropogenic influences. This challenge can only be met with more detailed and extensive data records.

The author is in the Department of Geography, University of Delaware, Newark, DE 19716, USA. E-mail: fnelson{at}udel.edu

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THIS ARTICLE HAS BEEN CITED BY OTHER ARTICLES:
The Laptev Sea system since the last glacial.
H. Kassens, J. Thiede, H.A. Bauch, J.A. Hoelemann, I. Dmitrenko, S. Pivovarov, S. Priamikov, L. Timokhov, and C. Wegner (2007)
Geological Society of America Special Papers 426, 89-96
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