Climate change widens the Doorway to the Underworld

Sentinel-1 CSAR IW acquired on 17 April 2015 at 21:31:38 UTC
Sentinel-2 MSI acquired on 27 May 2016 at 02:45:52 UTC
Sentinel-2 MSI acquired on 28 May 2019 at 03:05:51 UTC
Sentinel-1 CSAR IW acquired on 12 August 2019 at 21:31:30 UTC
Author(s): Sentinel Vision team, VisioTerra, France - svp@visioterra.fr
Keyword(s): Geohazard, landslide, deforestation, global warming, climate change, polar, cryosphere, permafrost, taiga, Siberia, Russia
Fig. 1 - S2 (28.05.2019) - 4,3,2 natural colour - The Batagaika crater is a thermokarst depression in East Siberia, Sakha Republic, Russia.
2D view
Fig. 2 - S1 (12.08.2019) - vv,vh,vv composite - The land began to sink due to the thawing permafrost after the surrounding forest was cut.
2D view
As more material at Batagaika's floor melts & comes loose, a larger cliff face is exposed, which in turn increases the speed of permafrost thawing.
Fig. 3 - "The crater will likely eat through the entire hillslope before it slows down", said Mary Edwards of Univ. Southampton.
2D animation 2D view
Fig. 4 - Now 1 km long & 86 m deep, it enlarges 10-30 m a year; reaching neighbouring eroding valley could accelerate that.
2D animation 2D view
The views expressed herein can in no way be taken to reflect the official opinion of the European Space Agency or the European Union.
Contains modified Copernicus Sentinel data 2025, processed by VisioTerra.
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