Japanese Scientists Find "Alarming" Levels Of Permafrost Melt In Siberia - Asahi

[hatrack]

Permafrost in Siberia in the Russian Far East is thawing at an alarming pace because of global warming, a Japanese government-affiliated research institute said recently.

In some areas, the depth of the melted permafrost has become double that of around 2000, said officials of the Japan Agency for Marine-Earth Science and Technology (JAMSTEC). The thaw is causing the expansion of lakes and marshes, the rise in water levels of rivers and cave-ins of roads, they added.

EDIT

According to the analysis, the annual average of ground temperatures at the depth of 1.2 meters from the Earth's surface stood at minus 2.4 degrees in the period from 1998 to 2004. However, it rose to minus 1.4 degrees in 2005, and further rose to minus 0.4 degrees in 2006. The average annual ground temperatures in three different locations in eastern Siberia have also risen sharply since 2005, marking the highest level on record since the survey was conducted there for the first time in 1960.

Meanwhile, the depth of permafrost that melted in Yakutsk in summer was about 1 meter around 2000. However, it exceeded 2 meters in 2006 and 2007. In surrounding areas, the sizes of lakes and marshes that appeared on the places where permafrost melted in 2007 were about 3.5 times larger than those in 2000.

EDIT

http://www.asahi.com/english/Herald-asahi/TKY200802140059.html

[cloudythescribbler]

1. Again, this EXACTLY the kind of reason progressives MUST demand NET NEGATIVE GREENHOUSE EMISSIONS ..

at the global level, and FAST. Norway has already set a goal of net carbon neutrality by 2030 (ie 100% reduction much sooner than liberals in the US seek 80% reduction) and probably Norway's goal doesn't go far enough.

Global warming is ALREADY wreaking havoc on the environment, so there is really no feasible scenario of doing "too much too fast" at this point. But if the permafrost thaws, releasing huge amounts of methane (not mentioned in the OP) this could produce an IRREVERSIBLE self-sustaining warming cycle, ie "TOO LATE".

[GreenPartyVoter]

2. Exactly. Well put