Relationships between Groundwater in Permafrost Zone and Climate Changes

The paper presents the results of statistical analysis and estimation of long-term changes in surface air temperature, the gas composition of the atmosphere, the depth of seasonal thawing, and the temperature and area of permafrost occurrence in the circumpolar zone of the Northern Hemisphere. Preliminary estimates were obtained for the possible influence of the current changes in the thermophysical parameters of permafrost rocks on the albedo of the underlying surface, air moisture content, and the concentrations of carbon dioxide and methane in the atmosphere. The density of anthropogenic and natural methane fluxes from the underlying surface to the atmosphere is evaluated. The possible formation mechanisms of global maximums in carbon dioxide and methane concentration in the atmosphere of circumpolar areas in the context of interaction between methane cycle and the processes of permafrost thawing are described.