While the altitude and remoteness of the Ukok Plateau may slow the rate of change relative to lower-altitude permafrost zones, the trend is clear.

Archaeological teams working in permafrost zones have been increasingly aware of this urgency.

The argument for excavating sites that might otherwise be left for future study has been strengthened by the recognition that the permafrost they are waiting in may not be there in the same condition by the time future researchers arrive.

The Ice Maiden was found when her burial was still frozen and her preservation was extraordinary.

Had she been discovered decades later — as permafrost degradation accelerated — her condition might have been significantly worse, or she might have been degraded beyond the point of scientific value.