A Few Degrees is All it Takes

Lets face it, we have to come to terms with the fact that global warming is a serious issue to our environment and to us in turn. Our wasteful acts have contributed to the problems that this planet now faces that could leave us in the dust. The newest factor may not have been on peoples radar before, but it certainly will be if the condition of the earth continues to worsen. The newest factor in the warming of the earths climate is its permafrost  or the melting of it to be precise.

Although there are many ways we have been trying to "go green" as it were, the thawing of the permafrost is not something that requires a great deal of change to our climate as it is right now. Scientists note that just a rise in temperature of 1.5 degrees Celsius can thaw permafrost completely in areas where it is completely frozen now. This may seem like such a small degree, which it would seem to us as humans themselves would not feel the effect of such a change in temperature until it begins to react within the environment itself. However, this tiny margin is all that is keeping this planet how it is today.

Many may ask what exactly is so bad about the layers of permafrost melting. First of all, permafrost holds massive amounts of carbon under its surface from the many thousands of years of buildup. The sudden thaw of all the permafrost would release these mountainous reserves of carbon, much of which would covert to carbon dioxide and methane. These harmful gasses, also known as greenhouse gases, would then become trapped in the earths atmosphere and greatly increase the effect of global warming.

Another popular question towards his study is how exactly do these scientists prove that this series of events could take place. The answer is that scientists can use ice and soil samples to calculate the age of existing permafrost. They were then able to use these dates as references to the different speleothems, or ancient cave formations such as stalactites and stalagmites, which form when the permafrost melts in previous eras. scientists are then able to date these formations, and what temperature the earth was at when they formed. they were finally able to deduce that the temperature needed to melt the permafrost had to be at least 1.5 degrees Celsius more than it is today.

 Hopefully after reading this article, people will begin to take notice of just how drastically our environment can change with just the slightest tweak or nudge from our species. If every person were to pitch in and help to conserve the current temperature this planet holds, it can prevent major catastrophes from occurring and drastically altering this planet for the worse. It just shows that all it really takes to change the world is a few degrees in the wrong direction.

Link:http://www.sciencenews.org/view/generic/id/348585/description/Moderate_climate_warming_could_melt_permafrost