New
warning about climate change linked to peat bogs
Expert
says deadly gas released from melting permafrost region will lead to
'awful' consequences for global warming.
By
Vera Salnitskaya
Thaw of the frozen bogs, which take up as much as 80 per cent of the landmass of western Siberia, will release billions of tonnes of methane. Picture: Sergey Kirpotin
5
May, 2015
A
leading Siberian scientist has delivered another stark warning about
climate change and said melting peat bogs could speed up the process.
Professor
Sergey Kirpotin, director of the BioClimLand Centre of Excellence for
Climate Change Research in Tomsk, said he has concerns over the
'awful' consequences in Russia’s sub-Arctic region.
He
said that a thaw of the frozen bogs, which take up as much as 80 per
cent of the landmass of western Siberia, will release billions of
tonnes of methane – a greenhouse gas more potent than carbon
dioxide – into the atmosphere. That, he concluded, will greatly
speed up the effects of global warming around the world with
potentially devastating consequences.
Prof
Kirpotin, 51, first made the discovery about the threat 10 years ago
when it was found the permafrost melting for the first time since
being formed at the end of the Ice Age. Picture: Vera Salnitskaya
'Bogs
are extremely important for humanity,' explained Prof Kirpotin. 'Over
thousands of years bogs have been absorbing carbon dioxide from the
atmosphere and storing it at peat deposits. Carbon is a basic
component of greenhouse gases. This way, bogs function as a sort of
natural freezer as they don’t let the carbon build up in the
atmosphere.
'However,
the permafrost in northern areas of western Siberia has started
melting. As the permafrost thaws, it creates new lakes and old ones
get bigger. This way, all the organics trapped in permafrost started
decomposing rather quickly. Obviously, a lot of greenhouse gases,
such as carbon dioxide and methane, are released into the atmosphere.
Methane is a greenhouse gas 30 times more potent than carbon
dioxide.'
He
added: 'There is a so-called methane threat in the north of the bog.
On top of that, the ice shelf is also thawing releasing methane
hydrates and something really awful is happening.'
Probes
with methane. Sergey Kirpotin(left) and Rinat Manasypov holding the
probes of snow, taken on Vasyugan Mire this winter. Pictures: Vera
Salnitskaya
Various
experts have been examining Siberia’s bog land, and its changing
conditions, for decades. The bogs covering western Siberia spread out
to a total of 7.5million hectares and give the region a unique
eco-system. Within this region, the Vasyugan Mire bog is the largest
anywhere in the world.
At
more than 53,000km sq in size – making it bigger than Switzerland –
Vasyugan Mire is 10,000-years-old and is famous around the world for
its rare flora and fauna. Under ice and snow for much of the year,
recently tourism officials launched a bid to attract wildlife lovers
and environmentalists to the area.
The
BioClimLand centre was established a year ago and mainly focuses on
climate studies, with a special laboratory for biochemical and remote
environment monitoring.
Prof
Kirpotin, 51, first made the discovery about the threat 10 years ago
when it was found the permafrost melting for the first time since
being formed at the end of the Ice Age.
'Bogs
are extremely important for humanity. Over thousands of years bogs
have been absorbing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and storing it
at peat deposits.' Pictures: Sergey Kirpotin
He
warned at the time that it could be an 'ecological landslide that is
probably irreversible'. Now it seems the situation is more advanced
than first thought. He said: 'The Arctic regions are more subject to
climate change. There are so-called hot spots in the Arctic and
northern western Siberia is one of them.
'That’s
happening for a few reasons. Scandinavia is warmed by the Gulfstream
so the changes there are not as rapid. Canada and Alaska have shorter
meridional lengths. Siberia is the largest Arctic territory in the
world, besides, there is a vast climate change [from continental] to
extreme continental as you move from the west to the east. This way
the changes in western Siberia are more extreme and dramatic than
elsewhere in the world.'
The
new warning comes just weeks after another Russian expert said the
Arctic could be completely ice-free within just 40 years.
Nobel
Peace Prize winner Professor Oleg Anisimov said there is now evidence
that temperatures are rising four times faster in the frozen region
than the rest of the planet.
It
would mean open water at the top of the world by 2050, with nothing
more than a few floating icebergs where the North Pole was once
located
Will
the Arctic be ice-free in 40 years? Expert claims temperatures in
polar regions are rising four times faster than the rest of the
planet
Professor
Oleg Anisimov said Arctic temperatures are rising fast
This
means that there will be open water in the polar region by the 2050s
Forecasts
that the region's temperature will rise by 7°C within a century
Melting
permafrost is already causing damage
25
February, 2015
The
Arctic could be completely free of ice in just 40 years as a result
of global warming, one of the world's leading climate change experts
has warned.
Nobel
Peace Prize winner Professor Oleg Anisimov said there is evidence
that temperatures are rising four times faster in the frozen region
than the rest of the planet.
This
means that there will only be open water in the polar region by the
2050s, with nothing more than a few floating icebergs at the North
Pole, according to the Russian academic.
Alarming:
The Arctic could be completely free of ice in just 40 years as a
result of global warming, one of the world's leading climate change
experts has warned. This map shows rates of erosion on the Arctic
coast, with the fastest rates marked in red
Professor
Anisimov, from the State Hydrological Institute in St Petersburg,
gave his stark warning during a lecture in the Sakha Republic - the
coldest part of Russia.
He
forecasts that the region will see temperature rises of up to 7°C
within a century.
‘For
several reasons, the Arctic climate change is more intense and faster
than in other regions. There is a reduction in snow and ice cover,
which has a protective function,’ he said.
‘On
average over the last year, the minimum area of sea ice has decreased
from 5.4 to 5.3 million square kilometres [two million square miles].
Over the past 10 years, the reduction of sea ice in the Arctic was by
13.7 per cent.
Shocking
pictures from Siberia (one is pictured) show the collapse of
buildings due to melting permafrost. According to environmentalists,
as the snow and ice melts, the ability of the Arctic region to
reflect heat back into space is reduced and the rate of global
warming is accelerated once more
Nobel
Peace Prize winner Professor Oleg Anisimov (pictured) said there is
evidence that temperatures are rising four times faster in the frozen
region than the rest of the planet
‘By
the middle of the century it may be that the Arctic Ocean will be
completely ice free.’
Environmentalists
and climate change scientists have long known about the potential
disaster in the Arctic as a result of rising global temperatures.
The
Yakutia region is experiencing climate change at a rapid rate and a
1884 map (pictured) shows Arctic islands that have already vanished
The
sea ice is already at the lowest ever level recorded, with the WWF
warning that a rise of just 2°C would be enough to melt the
remaining floes.
As
well as rising sea waters, climate change could threaten delicate
ecosystems and marine life.
According
to environmentalists, as the snow and ice melts, the ability of the
Arctic region to reflect heat back into space is reduced and the rate
of global warming is accelerated once more.
This
could spark increasing numbers of forest fires and unpredictable
storms and, at worst, bring a halt to the Gulf Stream which warms
Europe.
The
Sakha Republic, also known as Yakutia, is experiencing climate change
at a quicker rate than other parts of the world, The
Siberian Times reported.
A
map of the region from 1884 is already radically different to
today's, with Arctic islands having vanished under rising sea waters.
Professor
Anisimov predicts overall increases of about 7°C by next century in
Russia's frozen north.
Shocking
pictures from Siberia highlighted by the academic show the collapse
of buildings due to melting permafrost.
In
2007, as part of an Inter-governmental Panel on Climate Change, he
was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for research on the impact of
global warming, and is considered one of the world's most eminent
experts on the subject.
He
said: ‘If the global temperature got warmer by 0.85°C in 100
years, in Yakutia the winter temperature will have increased by
3.5°C.
Professor
Anisimov said: ‘If the global temperature got warmer by 0.85°C in
100 years, in Yakutia the winter temperature will have increased by
3.5°C.' This picture shows s house destroyed by melting ice on
Yenisey - the largest river system flowing to the Arctic Ocean
As
well as erosion (areas of which are marked on this map), climate
change has been blamed for the series of unexplained craters
appearing throughout Russia
‘That
is, global warming here is four times faster. According to our
forecasts, the temperature in the north will increase by six to seven
degrees by the 2100s.’
Other
scientists have already speculated that global warming could be
partly responsible for the series of unexplained craters appearing
throughout Russia.
They
believe warming air is melting thick permafrost, leading to the
accumulation and release of volatile ‘fire ice’ gases which then
explode to create the giant craters.
Almost
two thirds of the Russian land mass lies within a permafrost zone and
there are concerns that any melting of this could cause potential
problems for infrastructure, such as buildings in cities and
pipelines.
‘Projected
changes in the permafrost seriously threaten the Russian economy,
primarily due to the increased risk of damage to the infrastructure
of the Far North,’ Professor Anisimov said.
The
US-based Natural Resources Defence Council said it is vital to pay
attention to environmental changes at the top of the world.
‘The
Arctic is global warming’s canary in the coal mine.
Most
scientists view what is happening now in the Arctic as a harbinger of
things to come,’ the council said.
...GLOBAL
WARMING MAY BE THE CAUSE OF ENORMOUS HOLES IN RUSSIA
Four
new mysterious giant craters have appeared in the Siberian permafrost
in northern Russia, sparking fears that global warming may be causing
gas to erupt from underground.
Scientists
spotted the new holes, along with dozens of other smaller ones, in
the same area as three other enormous craters that were spotted on
the Yamal Peninsula last year.
The
craters are thought to be caused by eruptions of methane gas from the
permafrost as rising rising temperatures causes the frozen soil to
melt.
It
has sparked fears that the craters could become more common as
climate change continues to warm and led to warnings that the area is
facing a looming natural нdisaster.
Unexplained:
The first of the new craters discovered, named B1 (pictured above),
shows signs of an huge eruption of gas. Four new mysterious
giant craters have appeared in the Siberian permafrost in northern
Russia, sparking fears that global warming may be causing gas to
erupt from underground
One
of new craters, surrounded by at least 20 smaller holes, is just six
miles from a major gas production plant.
Experts
have predicted there could be up to 30 more are waiting to be
discovered.
Scientists,
however, are still largely baffled by the exact processes causing the
craters.
Professor
Vasily Bogoyavlensky, deputy director of the Moscow-based Oil and Gas
Research Institute, part of the Russian Academy of Sciences, has
called for 'urgent' investigation of the new phenomenon amid safety feыrs.
Until
now, the existence of only three Siberian craters had been
established when great caverns in the frozen landscape were spotted
by passing helicopter pilots.
'We
know now of seven craters in the Arctic area,' Professor
Bogoyavlensky told The
Siberian Times.
'Five
are directly on the Yamal peninsula, one in Yamal Autonomous
district, and one is on the north of the Krasnoyarsk region, near the
Taimyr peninsula.
'We
have exact locations for only four of them. The other three were
spotted by reindeer herders.
'But
I am sure that there are more craters on Yamal, we just need to
search for them. I would compare this with mushrooms.
'When
you find one mushroom, be sure there are few more around. I suppose
there could be 20 to 30 craters more.'
Two
of the newly-discovered large craters - also known as funnels to
scientists - have turned into lakes, revealed Professor
Bogoyavlensky.
'It
is important not to scare people, but this is a very serious problem.
We must research this phenomenon urgently to prevent possible
disasters.
'We
cannot rule out new gas emissions in the Arctic and in some cases
they can ignite.'
The collapse of the corner of the building in the center of Yakutsk in 1999, pictured by Mikhail Grigoriev. The building of a military unit, located in the lower reaches of the Yenisei River, badly damaged by thawing of permafrost and collapsed due to the melting of permafrost section of the building in Chersky settlement pictured by Vladimir Romanovskiy/University of Alaska Fairbanks
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