Planetary Ruin

Researchers have found alarming evidence that the frozen Arctic floor has started to thaw and release long-stored methane gas. The results could be a catastrophic warming of the earth, since methane is a far more potent greenhouse gas than carbon dioxide. It is estimated that methane as a green house gas is about 20 times more potent than carbon dioxide.

It’s always been a disturbing what-if scenario for climate researchers: Gas hydrates stored in the Arctic ocean floor — hard clumps of ice and methane, conserved by freezing temperatures and high pressure — could grow unstable and release massive amounts of methane into the atmosphere. Since methane is a potent greenhouse gas, more worrisome than carbon dioxide, the result would be a drastic acceleration of global warming. Until now this idea was mostly academic; scientists had warned that such a thing could happen. Now it seems more likely that it will.

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If we consider that the Greenland ice cap is melting at such a fast rate it is triggering earthquakes as pieces of ice several cubic kilometres in size break up and then melts, allowing more sunlight to hit the open water (ice reflects a large portion of the light hitting it back into space, protecting us from the heating effects of that light) – we have reason to be concerned.

In fact, according to some, we may actually have an ice free north pole this summer. (my personal view is this is unlikely for a few more years – BUT it wasn’t supposed to be happening for decades…)

“The issue is that, for the first time that I am aware of, the North Pole is covered with extensive first-year ice — ice that formed last autumn and winter,” Dr. Mark Serreze, a senior research scientist at the National Snow and Ice Data Center in Boulder, Colo., told The Independent newspaper in London. “I’d say it’s even odds whether the North Pole melts out.” – [Link]

Both the potential increase in released methane gas from the bottom of the ocean, combined with increased global temperatures due to increased energy absorption from the sun, is VERY likely to result in an over-all increase in the temperature of our planet.

Here’s the issue: Just HOW hot is it going to get?

Scientists are still arguing over how high the increase will be. Some say a few degrees, some say as high as 10 or 15…which would result in a mass extinction event, unless you happen to be bacteria. A few point to keep in mind is, just a few degrees would result in a big loss for food production… and currently global food stocks are the lowest they have been in 60 years.

Something to think about… perhaps even something to DO something about?

You tell me.