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Melting permafrost release methane deposits in Siberia
08/Sep/2006: Lakes formed by melting permafrost in Siberia, are releasing methane deposits within them in to the atmosphere, fuelling global warming, as methane is much more potent than carbon dioxide. This discovery by a team of Russian and U.S researchers has surprised many scientists who had believed till now that lake beds were only a minor source of methane emissions.
Warming wetlands and permafrost in Siberia has been releasing methane for a long time, but the amount of the gas released remained immeasurable as the emissions were intermittent. However the international team of U.S and Russian scientists was able to calculate the amount of emissions by analyzing the trapped gas in the frozen lakes, during the Siberian winter. The results showed that the emissions were high enough to raise the estimated level of methane emissions in the Artic by 10-60%.
Organic matter buried under the Siberian permafrost for thousands of years has started to decompose with the increasing temperatures. Since Siberia was once covered by vast tropical rainforests, its soil is rich in organic matter. Warmer conditions are helping bacteria’s that decompose the organic matter, releasing methane in the process. Scientists believe that there are huge stores of methane under the permafrost in Siberia, which if released in to the atmosphere could accelerate the rate of global warming.
Kesavan Siva
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