Article: Chunks of Earth Just Disappear — Life on a Collapsing Island

In a powerful new Science Weekly podcast, Guardian reporter Leyland Cecco recounts his journey to Qikiqtaruk, also known as Herschel Island, a small island off Canada’s Yukon coast that is literally unraveling as climate warms.

A Landscape Unraveling

Qikiqtaruk is no ordinary stretch of Arctic tundra. Beneath its surface lies rich permafrost, built up over millennia — but today, that frozen underbelly is melting. As the ice warms and weakens, the ground above shifts: in recent years, hundreds of landslides have sheared away the island’s edges, sometimes collapsing hundreds of metres into the sea.

These events, known as thaw slumps or active layer detachments, occur when melted permafrost can no longer support overlying soil and vegetation.

The Human and Ecological Toll

For the Inuvialuit, the Indigenous people of the region, Qikiqtaruk is not just a research site — it’s home. Traditionally a hunting and fishing ground, the island’s changing shape threatens both their way of life and their cultural heritage.

At the same time, scientists — including a team known as Team Shrub — are racing to document these transformations. Over more than a decade, they have used drones, trail cameras, and field work to capture how the tundra is reshaping.

One particularly painful loss: a long-term ecological monitoring station, which had provided three decades of data, collapsed into the ocean entirely. Such losses are not just scientific — they sever our ability to understand and predict how fragile ecosystems respond to rapid warming.

Emotional Stakes and Urgent Questions

For researchers like Isla Myers-Smith, the changes are deeply personal. She describes standing on cliffs that one moment feel solid — and the next moment, whole chunks of land crumble away. The Guardian The emotional investment is high, rooted in both the beauty of the place and the sense that they are watching something irreversible.

“What we are seeing is not just ecological change,” the podcast argues, “but the very fabric of the landscape tearing apart.”

Why It Matters Beyond Qikiqtaruk

Qikiqtaruk may seem remote, but the stakes are global. As permafrost thaws here, the processes underway offer a window into what increasingly may happen across the Arctic — and beyond. Understanding these dynamics is essential not just for local communities but for anyone concerned about climate-driven land loss, ecosystem collapse, and rising seas.