The permafrost soils of the Arctic and near-Arctic regions store more mercury than all of the rest of the world’s soils, the oceans, and the atmosphere combined, two times over.
It seems that the Canadian agricultural lobby has decided to begin kickstarting efforts to “develop” the far north, with the help of the Canadian government (unsurprisingly, since the efforts won’t be successful without subsidies).
The world’s periglacial zones, home to essentially all of the world’s permafrost, will “almost completely disappear” by the year 2100 even in the most optimistic of scenarios concerning greenhouse gas emissions reductions, according to a new study.
The ongoing melting of permafrost in Siberia has brought with it some very strange events — including the creation of massive methane blowout craters. In addition to the — sometimes catastrophically violent — release of methane from the previously frozen tundra, the melting has also been accompanied by the return of microbial illnesses that haven’t been present in the region for quite some time.
Permafrost thaw and decay is intensifying in northern Canada, according to recent research from the Northwest Territories Geological Survey. To be more specific, the research found that out of a half-million-square-mile section of northwest Canada (the part the researchers analyzed), roughly 52,000 square miles is undergoing permafrost decay and collapse.
Almost everyone in the media has taken a stab at summarizing, if not snap-judging, the results of Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon’s one-day UN climate summit last week. The meeting had a real name, but Robert N. Stavins in his New York Times runup to the conference was the only writer I … [continued]
This is the second monthly report of 10 of the most compelling renewable energy and clean technology stories encountered from the previous month that have not already been published on CleanTechnica. Literally hundreds of articles are reviewed each month across many energy platforms, including renewables, fuels, energy generation, and conservation … [continued]
