Kyodo News, Sunday, November 25, 2007 - Permafrost in Mongolia thinning out.

The thickness of Mongolian permafrost has dropped by 1 to 2 meters in the last seven years as the earth continues to heat up, joint research by the National Institute for Environmental Studies and Keio University showed Saturday.

The permanently frozen soil at observation points south of Ulan Bator will disappear completely in 20 years’ time if the air temperature keeps rising at its current pace, the researchers said.

The annual average temperature in Mongolia rose 1.82 degrees from 1940 to 2004 and by 2.31 in Ulan Bator. As the land grows drier, Mongolia’s grasslands will be annihilated and wreak havoc on the lives of its nomads, they said.

According to the research, the thickness of the permafrost was 4 to 6 meters in 1999 but dropped to 2 to 3 meters in 2006. Even allowing for a margin of error, the permafrost is estimated to have thinned by 1 to 2 meters.