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America's oldest ice discovered... then it melts
Anchorage, (Al/US), 18 september 2008 -
Seen emerging from a mud cliff, the smooth, near-black surfaces look like a long-lost objects from some high-tech civilisation. In fact, they are huge chunks of ice – the oldest ice ever found in North America.
More than 750,000 years old, the wedges have survived through times when the planet was even warmer than it is today. Duane Froese of the University of Alberta in Canada and colleagues say their discovery could us predict the fate of the deep Arctic permafrost and its frozen methane stores.
environment.newscientist.com: America's oldest ice discovered... then it melts
Thawing Permafrost Likely to Boost Global Warming
Washington, August 28, 2008 -
The thawing of permafrost in northern latitudes, which greatly increases microbial decomposition of carbon compounds in soil, will dominate other effects of warming in the region and could become a major force promoting the release of carbon dioxide and thus further warming, according to a new assessment in the September 2008 issue of BioScience. The study, by Edward A. G. Schuur of the University of Florida and an international team of coauthors, more than doubles previous estimates of the amount of carbon stored in the permafrost: the new figure is equivalent to twice the total amount of atmospheric carbon dioxide. The authors conclude that releases of the gas from melting permafrost could amount to roughly half those resulting from global land-use change during this century.
www.aibs.org: Thawing Permafrost Likely to Boost Global Warming
Arctic thaw threatens Siberian permafrost
London, June 14 2008 -
The permafrost belt stretching across Siberia to Alaska and Canada could start melting three times faster than expected because of the speed at which Arctic Sea ice is disappearing.
A study found that the effects of sea-ice loss – which reached an all-time record last summer – extend almost 1,000 miles inland to areas where the ground is usually frozen all year round.
www.independent.co.uk: Arctic thaw threatens Siberian permafrost
More about Arctic thaw and Siberian permafrost
Greenpeace Warns On Canada's Northern Forests
Vancouver (Ca), April 11, 2008 -
Greenpeace warned on Thursday that Canada's logging practices threaten to turn the country's vast northern forest into a source of global warming, but the forestry industry says it is already taking steps to fight climate change.
www.planetark.com: Greenpeace Warns On Canada's Northern Forests
Russian, Canadian Winter Days Much Milder - UK Study
Oslo, March 27 2008 - The coldest winter days in Russia and Canada have become up to 4 Celsius (7 Fahrenheit) milder since the 1950s in an extreme sign of climate change, the British Meteorological Office said on Wednesday.
www.reuters.com: Russian, Canadian winter days much milder-UK study
www.metoffice.gov.uk: Extreme temperatures on the rise
Warming climate may cause arctic tundra to burn
Bozeman, (US) March 7, 2008 -
Research from ancient sediment cores indicates that a warming climate could make the world’s arctic tundra far more susceptible to fires than previously thought. The findings, published this week in the online journal, PLoS ONE, are important given the potential for tundra fires to release organic carbon — which could add significantly to the amount of greenhouse gases already blamed for global warming.
www.enn.com: Warming climate may cause arctic tundra to burn
Risk of permafrost thaw a "wild card" in warming: U.N.
Monaco, February 20, 2008 - A thaw of Arctic permafrost is a "wild card" that could stoke global warming by releasing vast frozen stores of greenhouse gases, the U.N. Environment Program (UNEP) said.
More research was urgently needed into the possibility of a runaway release of methane, a powerful heat-trapping gas trapped in frozen soils in Siberia, Canada, Alaska and Nordic nations, it said in a 2008 yearbook issued at 154-nation talks in Monaco.
www.reuters.com: Risk of permafrost thaw a "wild card" in warming: U.N.
www.unep.org: Breaking Down the Barriers to a Green Economy
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