Permafrost: Not a Marvel Supervillain

 Brisnid Pardo


Permafrost: Not a Marvel Supervillain


In the icy tundras of Siberia in 2016, a reindeer carcass that had been lying in ice for 75 years killed one 12-year-old boy and hospitalized dozens of people without moving an inch. No, this reindeer wasn’t a zombie, but the bacteria Bacillus anthracis led an outbreak that rings similarly to the beginning of a zombie horror film. 

Anthrax was last seen in the region in 1941, according to Alec Luhn, a climate journalist for the Guardian. In 2016, a heatwave thawed surface layers of the frozen soil that spans down to almost 1,000 ft in certain areas, exposing a reindeer carcass that had been infected with anthrax decades before. Infectious spores spread across the tundra, infecting reindeer grazing those grounds, which caused the outbreak that affected dozens that year. According to Alexei Kokorin, the head of WWF Russia’s climate and energy program, “Anthrax spores can survive in frozen human and animal remains for hundreds of years, waiting to be released by a thaw”. Over a million reindeer died from repeated anthrax outbreaks in Siberia over the course of the early 20th century, many of which are scattered throughout 7,000 burial grounds in Northern Russia. Due to the warming effects of climate change, Anthrax outbreaks could occur every summer in Siberia. 

Soil that is permanently frozen for at least two years is considered to be Permafrost, most often found in Arctic regions such as Greenland, Alaska, Russia, China and Eastern Europe. Scientists study the thawing of Permafrost to track changes in Earth’s climate. Permafrost and ice are thawing at higher latitudes and greater depths than ever before recorded, exposing viable microorganisms that have been preserved over years. This means that climate change is allowing for the reemergence of known pathogens and could allow for the revival of ancient unknown pathogens. As carcasses of infected humans and animals buried in the permafrost rise to the surface, flooding and soil disruption can cause the pathogens to spread into groundwater, thus potentially allowing for the transmission into the local ecosystem and human populations. 

If Anthrax was able to survive a couple years frozen, what else could be buried deep within permafrost? Freezing conditions, such as those present within the Permafrost, are the perfect conditions to keep bacteria alive for a very long time. Jean Michel Claverie, a virologist at Aix-Marseille University, has been studying DNA viruses retrieved from permafrost in northeastern Siberia, where he infects amoeba to determine the functionality and vitality of such ancient viruses, one of them being smallpox, the deadliest disease in modern history. However, Dr. Claverie is optimistic and dismissive to the threat posed by revived bacterial diseases, stating that “they will kill a couple people but now we have antibiotics”. Other scientists don’t hold the same perspective and even caution against the possibility of antibiotic resistant strains of bacteria. 

On the bright side, when it comes to the exposure of viruses directly from permafrost, they will be present in arctic regions that aren’t heavily populated and the populations present are not in frequent contact with outsiders, containing and limiting the spread of infection. Dr. Claverie makes the point that when permafrost thaws in nature, viruses are exposed to oxygen and light, which are unfavorable conditions for survival unless immediately coming into contact with a host. However, humans aren’t the only hosts for viruses and the only ones infected from bacteria. Climate change has sent the global ecosystem into flux and the migration patterns of animals are constantly changing, making many factors unpredictable. 

What’s not unpredictable, however, is the knowledge we have from the past, such as the reemergence of Anthrax. It’s not a question of if known and/or ancient viruses or bacteria can reemerge and reinfect populations, it's a question of when. If resources are put into the early detection of emerging pathogens for high-risk groups, (for instance indigenous communities in arctic regions) then we can get a headstart on preventing pandemic after pandemic of deadly diseases. While Permafrost is not the name of a Marvel supervillain, it might as well be. However, every Marvel movie has a superhero, so let’s hope we can be one. 



Anthrax outbreak triggered by climate change kills boy in Arctic Circle | Russia | The Guardian

Anthrax Outbreak In Russia Thought To Be Result Of Thawing Permafrost : Goats and Soda : NPR

Permafrost thawing and the risk of emerging infections.pdf (cwhc-rcsf.ca)

Permafrost: one of the biggest threats to the Earth - Iberdrola

The permafrost pandemic: could the melting Arctic release a deadly disease? - Unearthed (greenpeace.org)

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