Yves here. This post is a useful reminder of a particularly powerful global warming feedback loop, namely thawing permafrost throwing off methane. We tend to think of permafrost melting in places like Siberia, but it also happens on the ocean floor where temperatures are normally frigid.
More cheery sightings:
Siberia is heating up around twice as quickly as other parts of the world. The rapid change is causing the frozen ground known as permafrost that coats about two-thirds of Russia to thaw for the first time in ages. https://t.co/rECwCFZEOS
— The Washington Post (@washingtonpost) January 3, 2024
Permafrost is found in areas where temperatures rarely rise above freezing. This means permafrost is often found in Arctic regions such as Greenland, the U.S. state of Alaska, Russia, China, and Eastern Europe. Permafrost thickness can range from one meter (about three feet) to… pic.twitter.com/MVpehuOg4u
— India’s Decade (@Indias_Decade) January 4, 2024
By Thomas Neuburger. Originally published at God’s Spies
It’s difficult for most people in the climate world to talk about methane and climate change. Methane certainly has an effect on the climate. Methane is a powerful but short-lived greenhouse gas that’s both encased in and produced by thawing permafrost. Thawing permafrost releases carbon, and it also “wakes up” dormant bacteria that feed on the half-decayed organic matter, producing methane. Permafrost is like a frozen compost heap, only massively larger. The above video from PBS is good on this subject.