Summary
The last deglaciation is a warming phase following the Last Glacial Maximum (21ky ago). Models suggest that, during this transition, permafrost thawing exerted a positive feedback on climate change by releasing CO2/CH4 into the atmosphere. Processes and timing of carbon release remain, however, elusive. PAST-HEAT will examine the behaviour of permafrost during last deglaciation to improve our knowledge on the post-glacial carbon cycle and elucidate how Arctic soils response to climate change.

Objectives
The core objective of PAST-HEAT is to exploit sedimentary records from the Arctic in combination with ice core and model data to reconstruct the behavior of the glacial permafrost in response to the last deglaciation. PAST-HEAT aims at defining the timing/extent of thawing, the composition of the carbon being released and the processes involved in the reactivation of the glacial permafrost.

Project Partners
• Stockholm University
• UNIS
• University of Plymouth