[Pleasures]

Aug 25, 2008
Time bomb trapped in Arctic soil

PARIS - CLIMATE change could release unexpectedly huge stores of carbon dioxide from Arctic soils, which would in turn fuel a vicious circle of global warming, a new study warned on Sunday.

And according to one commentary on the research, current models of climate change have not taken this extra source of greenhouse gas into account.

Scientists have long known that organic carbon trapped inside a blanket of frozen permafrost covering one fifth of the world's land mass would, if thawed, release greenhouse gases into the atmosphere.

But until now they simply did not have a good idea of how much carbon is actually locked inside this Arctic freezer.

To find out, a team of American researchers led by Mr Chien-Lu Ping of the University of Alaska Fairbanks examined a wide range of landscapes across North America.

They took soil samples from 117 sites, each to a depth of at least one metre, in order to provide a full assessment of the region's so-called 'carbon pool.' Previous estimates of the Arctic carbon pool relied heavily on a relative handful of measurements conducted outside of the Arctic, and only to a depth of 40cm.

The study, published in the British journal Nature Geoscience, found that the stock of organic carbon 'is considerably higher than previously thought' - 60 per cent more than the previously estimated.

This is roughly equivalent of one sixth of the entire carbon content in the atmosphere.

And that is just for North America. The size and mix of landscapes in the northern reaches of Europe and Russia are about the same, and probably contain a comparable amount of carbon-dioxide producing matter currently held in check only by the cold, the study said.

And the danger of a thaw is real, note climate scientists.

The Nobel Prize-winning UN panel of climate change scientists project temperature increases by century's end of up to six deg C in the Arctic region, which is more sensitive to global warming than any other part of the planet.

Commenting on the research, Mr Christian Beer of the Max Planck Institute in Jena, Germany, pointed out that the climate change models upon which future projections are based, do not include the potential impact of the gases trapped frozen Arctic soils.

'Releasing even a portion of this carbon into the atmosphere, in the form of methane or carbon dioxide, would have an significant impact on Earth's climate,' he noted in his commentary, also published in Nature Geoscience.

Methane, another greenhouse gas, is less abundant than carbon dioxide but several times more potent as a driver of global warming. -- AFP

[flyingwind]

Now that's something........

[Misuzu]

WHAAAAAAAAT O___________O
is this true??
because if it is, then i'll start eating more candy, and all that crap!

[no_comxxx]

Cool.....I never think somethin like that...

[charonyx]

Well, it IS happening, however, many of us aren't really too bothered by it. Sadly, majority of the world also has this mindset. But, climate change isn't just gonna wait for anyone. If its gonna happen, it happens, no matter how slow or how fast. The efforts made are unfortunately just too little. But it cant be helped, as it is indeed an insummountable task to convince the millions of people abt the proximity of the problem. Why? It is happening too gradually for us to notice any significant change..

Well, from the perspective of my religion (im nt gonna state =x) and a trusted source, it is said that the world is in a degenerative state. Things, are picking up speed. Technology is advancing in leaps and bounds. But what have the people themselves become? This is in contrast to when the world was in a productive state, when the great wonders of the world were built with the bare necessity of materials, e.g. the Great Pyramids of Giza, Machu Pichu and etc, where the bricks were hand-crafted to perfection by people. Anyway, it is said that abt 800 years from nw, the world will be in a state of great suffering as the axis is predicted to tilt 15 degrees, which (im nt sure abt this part) might increase the effect of gravity on Earth. This is way many people are rushing to free themselves from the cycle of reincarnation. (Thats a hint, but im still nt gonna state it >_<)

I guess thats food for thought, eh? Just hope i didn't offend anyone. If i did, my sincerest apologies >_<

[zaxin]

If its gonna happen, it happens, even when human deals a great lose, humanity will sustain and maybe it'll lead us to another branch of technology. So there's no need to worry about it.

[santa_02003]

Quote: Originally Posted by zaxin

If its gonna happen, it happens, even when human deals a great lose, humanity will sustain and maybe it'll lead us to another branch of technology. So there's no need to worry about it.

Maybe... But to be ignorance toward the issue will bring forward more disaster... And one of the most appealing issue will be our food... Such a change in climate will for sure inhibit the growth of plants... The changes of sea temperature will also destroy the habitat of marine life too...