Assess students' ability to analyze mechanisms and feedbacks linking permafrost thaw to Arctic carbon–climate dynamics, including physical drivers (active layer deepening, thermokarst), biogeochemical pathways (soil C mobilization, microbial decomposition, CH4 vs CO2 production), observational and modeling approaches for flux estimation, temporal and spatial scales, key uncertainties, and implications for climate projections and mitigation strategies; requires interpretation of data, comparison of scenarios, and evaluation of model–observation constraints.