Does Permafrost Cause Global Warming?

Introduction

Global warming has been a topic of interest for more than a decade now, and with each new year comes a new concern over the cause and effect of this now worldwide phenomenon. However, one of the newer concerns to enter the global warming arena is permafrost.

What Is Permafrost?

Deep beneath the sea and in the frozen soil landscapes of countries like Siberia and parts of North America and Europe are pockets of methane gas. When we normally think about greenhouse gases, carbon dioxide is the first culprit that comes to mind. However, according to the United Nations, methane can actually produce up to 25 times more damage than carbon dioxide can. For centuries now, these pockets have remained trapped by the cold phenomenon called permafrost, or basically a thick layer of ice.

The Problem

Global warming is the theory that the temperature of the earth is slowly rising due to the release of greenhouse gases and other toxins into the environment by the human race. As these temperatures rise they threaten to melt important water reserves like the polar ice cap and glaciers at both poles of the earth. However, global warming also may cause the right conditions to melt the permafrost covering the pockets of methane gas.

The Result

If global warming is not curbed by reducing the amount of greenhouse gases and other toxins that we release into the environment, the permafrost could very easily melt. Once that barrier no longer exists, the methane gas trapped beneath the permafrost could escape into the environment. According to "The UNEP Year Book 2008," this release of gas could number in the billions of tons, and may in fact hold "serious global consequences." Whether the gas is released at a slow pace, or is released all at once, the resulting environmental impact on global warming will be severe and destructive.

Resources

• UNEP Year Book 2008