Blog #4 1.5C rise in temperature enough to start permafrost melt

According to a recent observation the global temperature there has been a 1.5 C rise overall currently enough to start melting the permafrost in Siberia. The widespread thaw of permanent frozen ground could have severe consequences. Permafrost currently covers about 24% of the land and surface of the northern hemisphere and the melting of the caps could eventually trigger the release of hundreds of giga tons of carbon dioxide and methane, which would have a massive warming effect. Fortunately any such melting would be likely to take many decades, so the initial release of greenhouse gas would probably be on a much smaller scale.  Anton Vaks, of the Earth sciences department at Oxford, who led the research, said that the findings could have severe implications for the region, as melting permafrost could affect natural gas exploration and pipelines, as well as other infrastructure. It could also have more wide-reaching effects. "Although it wasn't the main focus of our research, our work also suggests that in a world 1.5C warmer – warm enough to melt the coldest permafrost – adjoining regions would see significant changes. Mongolia's Gobi Desert could become much wetter than it is today and this extremely arid area could come to resemble the present-day Asian steppes."

The increasing temperature is a direct correlation from anthropogenic effects and unfortunately the results present themselves in a clandestine way, but the threats are still there. Global warming and climate change are in effect and we have all of the information to help prevent the problems. The social change must start on a local level. We must begin with people who are responsible for policy change (local government and federal government) and economic consequences for not adapting to the beckoning of earth’s call. In a social change the threat needs to be realized on a local level and the conversations need to be on our tongues almost daily for the change that is needed to take place.

 

http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2013/feb/21/temperature-rise-permafrost-melt