# Arctic fires threaten frozen carbon stores

> Wildfires in Alaska's permafrost regions release carbon, risking climate feedback loops.
- Title: Arctic fires threaten frozen carbon stores | Shortify
- Summary: Wildfires in Alaska's permafrost regions release carbon, risking climate feedback loops. Alaska's permafrost fires are accelerating carbon release…
- Keywords: arctic fires, permafrost, carbon emissions, boreal forests, wildfire suppression, yedoma, fire carbon release, climate feedback, technology, science, Arctic, fires
- Source: MIT Technology Review — https://technologyreview.com/2026/10/19/1146832/inside-the-quest-to-combat-arctic-fires-and-save-the-planets-frozen-carbon
- Read time: 2 min
- Topics: arctic fires, permafrost, carbon emissions, boreal forests, wildfire suppression, yedoma, fire carbon release, climate feedback, technology, science
## Alaska wildfire in 2021
A wildfire ignited in a thick forest of black spruce and peeling paper birch trees on the northern campus of the University of Alaska, Fairbanks in July 2021.
## Fire spread and smoke
The blaze burned across dry feather mosses and lichen before climbing into tree crowns, reaching 12 feet in length and sending up a 500-foot smoke column.
## Yankovich Road Fire
The fire occurred just days before the five-year anniversary of the Yankovich Road Fire, which burned in 2021.
## Permafrost thawing
Hilary Shook used a thaw probe to detect permafrost, finding it had thawed significantly after the fire burned away insulating moss and organic topsoil.
## Carbon release
Wildfires in Canada released more carbon than the nation’s combined fossil fuel emissions in 2023, accelerating permafrost thaw and carbon release.
## Climate feedback loop
As climate change fuels more frequent and severe fires, they accelerate permafrost thaw, releasing greenhouse gases that worsen warming and fire cycles.
## North Fire initiative
Woodwell Climate Research Center, University of Victoria’s Polis Institute, and Alaska Venture Fund launched North Fire to study fire interventions and raise awareness about carbon preservation.
## Yedoma permafrost
Yedoma is a deep, ice-rich, carbon-dense permafrost that formed during the last ice age and stores significant carbon, with no rapid re-accumulation potential.
## Yukon Flats pilot
In 2019, the Yukon Flats National Wildlife Refuge burned 750,000 acres, prompting a pilot project to suppress fires threatening yedoma permafrost on 1.6 million acres.
## Fire detection
FireSat satellite constellation will detect fires twice daily from space, providing updated images every 20 minutes once fully operational by the early 2030s.
## Autonomous firefighting
Sikorsky and Rain Industries are testing autonomous helicopters equipped with thermal sensors and water tanks to suppress wildfires faster.
## Carbon cost of suppression
Additional fire suppression efforts would cost about $12.63 per metric ton of prevented carbon dioxide emissions, totaling $7 billion this decade to maintain historical fire levels.
## Permafrost carbon stores
The northern permafrost stores around 1.5 trillion tons of carbon, with 12% lost since 1850 due to warming, accelerating carbon release by 2021.
## Fire suppression challenges
Alaska receives only 4% of federal firefighting funds despite producing half the nation’s wildfire emissions, highlighting resource allocation gaps.
## Cultural burning
Indigenous tribes have used cultural burning for thousands of years to reduce fire risks, but it remains controversial due to potential for uncontrolled spread.
## Climate tipping point
The yedoma permafrost and boreal forests face a climate tipping point, with current fire management policies prioritizing public safety over carbon preservation.
## Key takeaway

Alaska's permafrost fires are accelerating carbon release, potentially turning boreal forests from carbon sinks to sources.