Permafrost collapse is accelerating carbon release, say scientists

Authored by rcinet.ca and submitted by Wagamaga
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A new study has found that permanently frozen ground called permafrost is melting much more quickly than previously thought and could release up to 50 per cent more carbon, a greenhouse gas. In some parts of Canada’s Arctic, permafrost is melting so fast the ground is collapsing, transforming the landscape and making travel dangerous for Indigenous people who live there.

“We are watching this sleeping giant wake up right in front of our eyes,” said University of Guelph Scientist Merrit Turetsky in a statement from the university.

Permafrost affects about one-quarter of the land in the northern hemisphere. The frozen soil holds about twice as much carbon as is currently contained in the atmosphere, says the statement.

Abrupt thaw releases stronger greenhouse gases

It notes that unlike slow thaw, abrupt thaw releases more methane which is a stronger greenhouse gas than carbon dioxide.

Despite the stark news, Turetsky remains optimistic.

“If we can limit human emissions, we can still curb the most dangerous consequences of climate warming. Our window for action is getting narrow, but we still have it and can make changes to save the Arctic as we know it, and the Earth’s climate along with it.”

The study was published in the journal Nature.

NZitney on May 19th, 2019 at 21:25 UTC »

Gonna have to rethink the permanent part

ampereus on May 19th, 2019 at 20:14 UTC »

This one of many feedback effects which are forcing our climate into a new state, not present in the past several million years. Others include: reduced ice albedo, ice free Arctic, decreased carbon dioxide uptake by the oceans, warming oceans and increasing absolute humidity. This new equilibrium will take more than a century to achieve. The acceleration towards it will increase, with dramatic effects becoming more obvious decade by inexorable decade.

ineedawusername on May 19th, 2019 at 19:57 UTC »

It's called the runaway affect and is incredibly hard/impossible to stop.