8. Towards a solution
There are still many uncertainties in the estimation of greenhouse gas emission due to permafrost degradation (Lawrence D. and Slater A., 2005). The study by Christensen et al. (2004) estimated 22-66% increase in the emission of methane gas upon thawing of permafrost at Stordalen mire in Sweden. Another study by Goulden et al (1998) reported that a boreal forest experienced a 10-fold increase in carbon dioxide efflux due to soil thawing. With these positive feedbacks towards warming of climate and possible disturbances to vegetation distribution, further study of permafrost degradation is required. Having real time outputs in this project’s model run would mean that CLASSIC has the ability to simulate the soil moisture and soil temperature for a subarctic hillslope landscape. This competency of the model could then be used in advantage to explore more avenues of why there is abrupt increase in permafrost degradation and also ways to paralyze this process.Apart from diagnosing the present permafrost, the simulation in this project (if successful) could also be helpful in projecting future permafrost degradation on the basis of climate change. Similar efforts of forecasting permafrost degradation were made by the climate model named Coupled Model Intercomparison Project (CMIP5; 5 denotes outputs of fifth phase of the model) in a study by Lawrence D. and Slater A. (2013). Also, similar simulations can be performed on landscape types such as exposed bedrock wetlands to assess and achieve best practices for representing sub-grid heterogeneity.