Scientists uncover shocking revival of ancient threat beneath melting ice: '[What's happening] in the Arctic doesn't stay in the Arctic'

The Arctic could increasingly become the site of animal-to-human disease transfer, a study published in the journal Science of the Total Environment suggests. As the ice melts, scientists warn, more zoonoses may spread. 

What's happening?

The co-authors of the study, published in December 2024, outline several factors that make the Arctic an area of concern when it comes to zoonoses — infectious diseases that can be transmitted from animals to humans. Rising global temperatures have the potential to connect — and amplify — them all.

Due to these rising temperatures, arctic ice is melting. As ice sheets disappear, humans and wildlife face issues like rising sea levels and the related effects of habitat and biodiversity loss. For example, when species that require solid ice on which to live, reproduce, and hunt lose their grounds to melting, their populations decline, with impacts further down the food chain too.

Habitat and biodiversity loss can also sponsor the spread of disease by increasing animal-human interactions. Additionally, scientists think that biodiversity loss can "[mean] that the species that remain are the competent ones, the ones that are really good at transmitting disease," infectious disease ecologist Jason Rohr explained to the New York Times in May 2024.

But scientists are also concerned with the melting of something called permafrost — a layer of ground that can remain frozen for long periods of time, trapping ancient microbes and other pathogens as well as pollutants in an icy prison. As permafrost melts, scientists caution that we may see even more disease spread. 

According to the Environmental Protection Agency, permafrost temperatures in Alaska "have increased at an average rate of 0.6°F per decade" from 1978 to 2023. 

Why is this important?

We already know that the impacts of Arctic ice melt are felt globally. Melting ice can influence shifts in weather patterns, with the potential to cause extreme weather events everywhere. 

And as Khaled Megahed Abass, a co-author of the December 2024 study, underscored in a news release, "[what's happening] in the Arctic doesn't stay in the Arctic."

The co-authors wrote in the study that "Arctic inhabitants are often in close contact with, and dependent on, wildlife for sustenance." Food supplies could be another route of transmission for pathogens already given a leg up by habitat loss, biodiversity loss, and permafrost melting.

The study also notes that diseases originating in the region "have more potential to spread globally than ever before." This means there's every chance the whole world could be affected at the pandemic level.

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Melting permafrost can affect the whole world in another way too. When microbes newly unlocked from their deep freeze begin to consume organic matter, they can produce gases like methane and carbon dioxide. The more this heat-trapping pollution is released into our atmosphere, the more we're set to contend with the rising temperatures that cause ice melt in the first place.

What's being done?

The team's study calls for more monitoring and protection in the Arctic, highlighting the importance of integrating traditional Indigenous knowledge. The authors also note the importance of public health campaigns and improved infrastructure to inform and support those who might be impacted first. 

Permafrost could merit special attention for its potential to unleash ancient microbes, mysterious pathogens, more warming, and untold damage. But it's also just one element in a complex system of climate issues.

"Climate change is not only melting ice—it's melting the barriers between ecosystems, animals, and people," Abass said. "This study shows how environmental disruption can directly impact human health."

No one person can halt temperatures rising around the world, but concerned citizens of Planet Earth can work together to identify steps that, especially when taken collectively, have a chance to curb the crisis. Switching to electric vehicles en masse, advocating for community solar programs, and championing pro-environment policies can add up.

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