Northern Arctic Vegetation Takes Decades to Recover Following Abrupt Permafrost Thaw

Nature Climate Change, 30 March 2026

Rising temperatures increase the frequency of retrogressive thaw slumps (RTSs) – landslide-like ground failures driven by permafrost thaw – which rapidly strip vegetation, destabilize terrain, and release previously stored soil carbon into the atmosphere across northern tundra regions. This study shows that vegetation recovery following these events varies widely, occurring within 5-10 years in low-Arctic ecosystems but taking many decades in high-Arctic and high-elevation regions. Faster recovery in low-Arctic areas is linked to higher ecosystem productivity, greater nutrient availability, more moisture from precipitation and snowmelt, and fewer limits on plant dispersal, while harsher conditions in higher latitudes and altitudes slow regrowth. Although surface greenness may recover, plant community composition often remains altered for much longer, indicating that a return of plant life does not equate to full ecological recovery.

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