Permafrost usually hits the news as a hazard; a planetary risk. When this ice-rich ground thaws, it damages roads and building foundations. It drains lakes and tips trees into drunken forests. It releases greenhouse gases that have been locked in carbon-rich soils for thousands of years, amplifying warming, driving further thaw.
These are serious concerns, and we spend a good deal of time studying their causes. But another consequence of permafrost thaw receives far less attention: As the climate warms, we are losing our frozen heritage.
