NASA Study Reveals Hidden Stage of Arctic Freeze

NASA Science reports that as autumn gives way to winter across the Arctic, the soil often stays near the freezing point for days or weeks in a stage called the zero curtain. In this phase, the heat released as water freezes keeps the ground at the freezing point, letting microbes remain active and release carbon dioxide and methane. Researchers used an artificial‑intelligence system named GeoCryoAI, blending satellite observations, model outputs and more than a century of field data, to create the first high‑resolution maps of zero‑curtain conditions. These new maps should improve climate models and help forecast future greenhouse‑gas releases from the permafrost, which stores roughly one point nine trillion tons of organic carbon.

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