The Arctic Is Farting ‘Ancient’ Methane and It’s Scary as Hell
Rapidly receding glaciers are leaving new tracts of Arctic land uncovered and causing a potent greenhouse gas to bubble out of the ground, according to scientists studying the region.
The Washington Post reports that, thanks to climate change, glaciers on a Norwegian archipelago are retreating rapidly, exposing land that has long been covered by ice. Groundwater on the newly uncovered land is seeping up, and bringing “ancient” methane to the surface with it, the Post writes. Scientists found high concentrations of methane in 122 of the 123 groundwater springs they measured.
It’s not clear exactly how much methane is coming out of these springs, nor is it known how widespread the phenomenon is. But what we do know is scary: Glaciers are receding across the Arctic thanks to a warming world caused by humans’ slow-cooking of the planet via fossil fuels. And as the glaciers give ground, they open up the possibility of new emissions — further driving the warming that’s causing the glaciers to retreat.
“This is a feedback loop that’s caused by climate change,” Gabrielle Kleber, a climate scientist and the lead author of the glacier methane study, told the Post. “Glaciers are retreating due to climate warming, and they are leaving these exposed forefields behind, which are encouraging methane gas to be released.”
The fact that the methane is ancient is troubling, the scientists said, as that suggests it could be coming from massive underground reservoirs. Methane is a more powerful contributor to climate change than carbon dioxide, and so the release of vast reserves is a frightening possibility for people who care about maintaining a hospitable planet for humanity.
The frightening Arctic feedback cycle is yet another reminder of the need for rapid action on climate change. Democrats last year passed a bill with large incentives for the development and deployment of green energy technology, but scientists say that more rapid cuts to greenhouse gas emissions are needed if humanity is to avoid the worst ravages of global warming.
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