Stunned University of Alaska scientists have revealed that permafrost in the Canadian Arctic is thawing 70 years earlier than had been expected, with Professor Vladimir Romanovsky telling Reuters, "What we saw was amazing. It's an indication that the climate is now warmer than at any time in the last 5,000 or more years." When permafrost thaws at a fast rate, large amounts of heat-trapping gasses are released into the atmosphere, which can make global temperatures rise even faster.