{"id":4586,"date":"2009-07-02T15:02:10","date_gmt":"2009-07-02T15:02:10","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/planetsave.com\/?p=4586"},"modified":"2009-07-02T15:02:10","modified_gmt":"2009-07-02T15:02:10","slug":"the-point-of-no-return-melting-permafrost-poses-major-threat-to-climate-change","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/planetsave.com\/articles\/the-point-of-no-return-melting-permafrost-poses-major-threat-to-climate-change\/","title":{"rendered":"The Point of No Return: Melting Permafrost Poses Major Threat to Climate Change"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a>[social_buttons]<\/p>\n

Permafrost, or permanently frozen ground – soil, sediment or rock that remains at or below 0\u00b0\u00a0Celsius for at least two continuous years – makes up about 24 percent of the exposed land mass in the Northern Hemisphere: that’s\u00a0approximately 22.79 million square kilometers. Permafrost can be thousands of years old, or it can be just beginning. Either way, as permafrost thaws, <\/strong>it jeopardizes both man-made structures and natural features<\/strong><\/a>. Thawing permafrost on mountain slopes can lead to landslides.<\/strong><\/p>\n

And it’s melting.<\/em><\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Besides posing threats to structures and landscapes on a local scale, melting permafrost emits carbon dioxide and methane<\/a>, according to\u00a0the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO)<\/a>, making permafrost a threat on a global scale.<\/p>\n

\u201cMassive amounts of carbon stored in frozen soils at high latitudes are increasingly vulnerable to exposure to the atmosphere,\u201d says the Executive Director of the Global Carbon Project at CSIRO, Dr. Pep Canadell.\u00a0\u201cThe research shows that the amount of carbon stored in soils surrounding the North Pole has been hugely underestimated.\u201d<\/p>\n

In a paper published in the most recent issue of\u00a0Global Biogeochemical Cycles, Dr. Canadell informs that permafrost has the potential to release\u00a0vast quantities of carbon and methane into the atmosphere, which would only add to the climate change crisis<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\u201cWarmer temperatures at high latitudes are already resulting in unprecedented permafrost degradation,\u201d he says. \u201cProjections show that almost all near-surface permafrost will disappear by the end of this century exposing large carbon stores to decomposition and release of greenhouse gases.\u201d And as the global temperature increases, an irreversible process of thawing could be initiated.<\/p>\n

\u201cA number of feedbacks increase the vulnerability of these soils. For example, heat generated from increased microbial activity could lead to sustained and long-term chronic emissions of carbon dioxide and methane.\u201d As the permafrost thaws and melts, ‘thermokarst lakes’ form. These ‘lakes’ are\u00a0bodies of freshwater, usually shallow, that are formed in depressions by melt-water from thawing permafrost. The formation of such lakes\u00a0would draw heat to deeper layers and bring methane to the surface.<\/p>\n

An increase in fire frequency could also trigger permafrost melt and thermokarst formation.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe potential for significant feedbacks from permafrost carbon could be realised with only a small fraction of currently frozen carbon released to the atmosphere,” said Canadell. “For example if only 10 per cent of the permafrost melts, the resultant feedback could result in an additional 80 ppm carbon dioxide equivalent released into the atmosphere, equating to about 0.7\u00b0C of global warming.\u201d<\/p>\n

As the global temperature rises, permafrost melts. As permafrost melts, carbon dioxide and methane are emitted into the atmosphere, causing increases in the temperature. The temperature increase spurs on permafrost thaw, etc., etc. The cycle is vicious and, as Canadell states, could be irreversible.<\/p>\n

Are we past the point of no return? Not yet. But action must be taken now to slow or, if possible, stop the melting of permafrost.<\/p>\n

More:<\/strong> What is being done to battle climate change\u00a0globally<\/a> and locally<\/a>?<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Photo Credit: <\/em>Marina & Enrique<\/em><\/a> via flickr under Creative Commons License<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Besides posing threats to structures and landscapes on a local scale, melting permafrost emits carbon dioxide and methane, according to the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO), making permafrost a threat on a global 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