Canadian Scientists Confirm Permafrost Warming - CBC

[hatrack]

WHITEHORSE - "Scientists have crunched statistics about air and ground temperatures in the North, and say permafrost is warming as the temperature rises.

Dr. Chris Burn is a professor with the department of geography and environmental studies at Carleton University in Ottawa. Burn studies climate change in the North, and he finds the results 'alarming.'

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'It may take five to 15 years for climate warming to be registered as a signal in the ground.'

Burn has noted a slight increase in ground temperatures since the 1970s. He says air temperature in the northern and central Yukon and the Mackenzie Delta has risen as well - two to three degrees over the last 50 years. 'So many of the things we see today are really reflecting what happened in the late 80s or early 90s,' Burn said."

EDIT


CBC

[La_Serpiente]

1. HMMMMM

I guess it went down when Clinton was in office.

[TreasonousBastard]

2. Interesting thing about permafrost melting...

a few years ago I was reading some study somewhere about a few gazillion cubic meters of methane being released when it melts.

The methane was created by decaying organic matter, but has been held in the ice and didn't dissipate like it does in warmer climes.

No one knows what this methane will do when it's released, although what they know about those swamp gas releases isn't encouraging.

[NickB79]

3. Methane is a greenhouse gas

MUCH more potent than CO2 in retaining solar heat in the atmosphere. The effects of this will become much more evident, causing a run-away warming cycle. Release methane, temp goes up, causes more methane to be released, temp goes even higher.

[NickB79]

4. Wait until the permafrost under the North Slope pipeline thaws

When you see the pipeline carrying the largest source of domestic oil into the US snap and spill across the tundra, THEN the people might wake up.