Why Climate Experts Are Worried About Earth’s Northern Permafrost Region (image-X/NASA)
A recent study co-authored by NASA scientists has found that as the Arctic warms, greenhouse gases are increasingly escaping from Earth’s permafrost region. This area, which has stored carbon underground for thousands of years, is now shifting to a “net source of greenhouse gas emissions,” raising concerns about its impact on global climate health.
Permafrost is a permanently frozen layer on Earth’s surface that consists of soils, gravel, and sand bound together by ice. It can be found on land and below the ocean floor, and in areas with temperatures rarely rising above freezing.
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Conducted as part of the Global Carbon Project’s RECCAP-2 effort, the study, led by Stockholm University, found that between 2000 and 2020, the permafrost region absorbed slightly more carbon dioxide than it released, though lakes and wetlands within the area were significant sources of methane during that time.
Methane, a potent greenhouse gas with a lifespan of only ten years, traps far more heat per molecule than carbon dioxide, which can persist in the atmosphere for hundreds of years. According to NASA, the permafrost region has contributed to global warming, largely due to these methane emissions.
The Implications: With the release of methane from permafrost, global temperatures could rise more rapidly than before. Warming will lead to more methane release, intensifying climate change. As the Arctic warms and permafrost thaws, the sea levels could rise as ice sheets in Greenland and Antarctica, regions where permafrost is often found, melt.
Abhishek Chatterjee, a co-author and scientist at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, stated that climate-driven changes are “tipping the balance toward permafrost being a net source of greenhouse gas emissions.” He emphasised the study’s comprehensive approach, utilising different methods and datasets to provide a clearer greenhouse gas budget into one report.
The research used ground-based instruments, aircraft, and satellites to track emissions.
The researchers warned that releasing even a small portion of the carbon stored in permafrost could further accelerate climate change. They also noted that extreme wildfires and heat waves pose significant uncertainties for future climate projections.
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Permafrost is frozen for two years or more, differing from frozen ground, which is frozen for over 15 days annually. Scientists who study permafrost are able to determine the changes in Earth’s climate.
Thawing permafrost is shifting the region from being a net sink for greenhouse gases to becoming a net source of warming as temperatures in the Arctic are rising two to four times faster than the global average.
