Russia’s permafrost is melting and it could have a devastating global effect
Melting permafrost could amplify climate change. Image: REUTERS/Maxim Shemetov.
An environmental vicious circle is taking hold in Russia and other parts of the Arctic as permafrost – the frozen ground beneath a quarter of the Northern Hemisphere and almost 20% of Earth’s landmass – thaws.
Rising temperatures are causing the ice that binds soil, rocks and sand in the ground to disintegrate, setting in motion a process that releases greenhouse gases.
Greenhouse gases heat the Earth by absorbing energy and slowing the rate at which it escapes into space – in effect they form a blanket over the Earth.
Join the Voice for the Planet movement
“Permafrost warming has the potential to amplify global climate change,” scientist Dr Boris K Biskaborn of the Alfred Wegener Institute, a polar and marine research organization, writes in an article published in the journal Nature. “When frozen sediments thaw it unlocks soil organic carbon.”
Previously frozen organic matter in permafrost decomposes and generates carbon dioxide and methane.
This could increase global warming by as much as 0.27 °C by 2100 and as much as 0.42 °C by 2300, Biskaborn writes.
The Arctic is warming twice as fast as the rest of the planet, research shows, and longer, hotter summers are expediting the melting process. That’s causing huge areas of land to erode and slide, creating "megaslumps".
One of the biggest is a gaping hole in Siberia’s landscape known as the Batagaika crater.
“There have been reports that these backwards-thawing features are appearing around the Arctic, but this one is in a league of its own,” said Mary Edwards, a professor at the University of Southampton who co-authored a 2017 study of the crater. “Scientifically, it’s very interesting because we can see what’s underground.”
Perhaps the most chilling aspect of this natural phenomenon is how little is really known about its potential impact.
Don't miss any update on this topic
Create a free account and access your personalized content collection with our latest publications and analyses.
License and Republishing
World Economic Forum articles may be republished in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International Public License, and in accordance with our Terms of Use.
The views expressed in this article are those of the author alone and not the World Economic Forum.
Stay up to date:
Russian Federation
Related topics:
The Agenda Weekly
A weekly update of the most important issues driving the global agenda
You can unsubscribe at any time using the link in our emails. For more details, review our privacy policy.
More on Climate ActionSee all
David Elliott
November 5, 2024