Melting permafrost in Siberia after last year’s heatwave could trigger “methane bomb”

The 2020 heatwave that occurred during the summer in Siberia led to an increase in methane gas emissions from limestones, an event that could lead to the Earth’s atmosphere being hit by a “methane bomb. “.

A new study by researchers at the University of Bonn found that the extreme heat wave in Siberia caused a “temperature anomaly” of 6 degrees Celsius during the 1979-2000 reference period.

Since June 2020, there has been an increase in methane concentration in two long areas of the region: the Taymyr Fold Belt and the edge of the Siberian Platform.

The summer 2020 heatwave in Siberia led to an increase in methane gas emissions from limestones, which could lead to a “methane bomb”

By early 2021, the methane had spread throughout the region, the researchers found.

The extreme heat wave resulted in a “temperature anomaly” of 6 degrees Celsius during the 1979-2000 reference period. Since June 2020, the methane concentration has increased in the Taymyr Pleated Belt and the edge of the Siberian Platform

Of concern in both areas is that the bedrock was formed by limestone formations from the Paleozoic era, dating back to 541 million years ago.

At the start of 2021, there was methane all over the region as methane spread. The bedrock was formed by limestone formations from the Paleozoic era, dating back to 541 million years ago

“Methane is particularly dangerous here because its warming potential is several times that of CO2,” the study’s lead author, University of Bonn professor Dr Nikolaus Froitzheim, said in a statement. .

According to the Environmental Defense Fund, methane has 80 times the warming power of carbon dioxide in the first 20 years it reaches the atmosphere.

The researchers compared the spatial and temporal distribution of methane concentrations in the air of northern Siberia with geological maps to reach their conclusions.

According to an April 2021 study, about 15% of the northern hemisphere or 11% of the entire globe is covered with permafrost.

If this portion of the ground were to thaw due to climate change, this could be of particular concern, given the implications it would have on rising temperatures.

Previous research suggested that a thaw in permafrost would contribute to an increase of “only” 0.2 degrees Celsius by 2100 and not lead to the aforementioned “methane bomb”, but the new study challenges that hypothesis.

Froitzheim noted that soil formation in these areas is “very thin to non-existent,” so there is little to worry about methane from decaying soil.

However, fracture and cave systems in limestone are likely to become porous with higher temperatures.

“As a result, natural gas, being mostly methane from reservoirs inside and below permafrost, can reach the Earth’s surface,” he explained.

Frotizheim continued: “The estimated quantities of natural gas in the subsoil of North Siberia are enormous. When parts of this are added to the atmosphere as the permafrost thaws, it could have dramatic impacts on the already overheated global climate.

The study was published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

Several groups of scientists have expressed concerns about what would happen if Earth’s permafrost melted.

In July 2020, a separate panel of experts found that increased permafrost melting could cause microbes to release 40 billion tons more carbon dioxide into the atmosphere than previously thought.

Other studies, including one published in September 2017, have expressed concern about unlocking old diseases trapped in permafrost.

THREATS POSED BY PERFROST DEFROSTING

Permafrost, which is mostly found in high latitude regions like the Arctic, stores large amounts of carbon dioxide and methane, which are released into the atmosphere if the soil melts and decomposes.

As permafrost melts and releases gases into the atmosphere that cause warming, permafrost melts even more, releasing more of these gases such as methane and CO2, causing a positive feedback loop that worsens climate change.

But other threats posed by melting permafrost include:

• Release of old microbes: In August 2016, an anthrax outbreak in Siberia left 72 people ill and killed a 12-year-old boy. It was because a reindeer infected with anthrax had thawed, releasing the bacteria.
• Damaged landscapes and roads: When the permafrost ice thaws, the water drains away and the ground above it can sag, warp or collapse. The Alaska Dispatch News reported that thawing permafrost was deforming roads in Bethel, Alaska.
• Loss of historical documents: The permaforst thaw could also threaten natural historical archives. For example, ‘Otzi’, a 5-300 year old dead man found in the Alps, would not have been so well preserved had he thawed.

As permafrost melts and releases gases into the atmosphere that cause warming, permafrost melts even more, releasing more of these gases such as methane and CO2, causing a positive feedback loop that worsens climate change.