Permafrost thaw in Salluit shifts land, lives "I feel the whole
town should move" In his seven terms as mayor of Salluit,
Qalingo Angutigirk has tried to look after his people, and their
land. But it’s not an easy job when the ground is literally
shifting under his feet. Since 1998 Salluit, the province’s
second northernmost community, has been hit by a series of
landslides. Scientists blame it on the melting of the
permafrost, the fragile underground layer of soil and rock that
remains frozen year round — or is supposed to. Though
Angutigirk, 72, is familiar with the science behind the problem,
he offers a more concrete example. “A long time ago, in the old
days, to bury a body, we only had to dig two feet. Now we have
to dig all the way down,” he says, shaking his head. The deeper
digging is necessary because what was once permafrost and closer
to the ground’s surface has melted, turning into mud. Many
people in the south have now become familiar with the problem of
melting Arctic sea ice, which is endanger