The melting of permafrost is the latest in a long list of warning that nature is issuing mankind.
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Permafrost is melting, bringing new warnings
- The story: As the earth warms up steadily, more heatwaves, droughts, ocean acidification, and rising sea levels are on the horizon. Around 90% of the world lives in the northern hemisphere with major population centres in the tropical and subtropical regions. These regions will be affected directly.
- Hidden dangers: There are problems that will emerge from thawing (melting) of permafrost and glacial ice.
- Permafrost is any ground that remains completely frozen—32°F (0°C) or colder—for at least two years straight. These permanently frozen grounds are most common in regions with high mountains and in Earth’s higher latitudes—near the North and South Poles.
- Permafrost covers large regions of the Earth. Almost a quarter of the land area in the Northern Hemisphere has permafrost underneath. Although the ground is frozen, permafrost regions are not always covered in snow.
- What will happen once it thaws: In the Arctic, temperatures are rising twice as fast in other parts of the world. As a result, the permafrost that has remained frozen throughout the year is thawing. That will worsen the effects of the climate crisis, because stored carbon is released in the process.
- The loss of sea ice and ice sheets covering land will accelerate the rise in temperatures (As Ice has more albedo than Water).
- Tropical challenges will spread into higher latitudes. The diseases that have typically afflicted the equatorial belt are spreading up into higher latitudes. Mosquitoes, ticks, and other insects spread many of these diseases. (West Nile virus causes hundreds of deaths every year in the United States, where it was first reported in 1999)
- With rising temperatures, West Nile will become more prevalent in Canada, including parts of the Arctic.
- Zoonotic diseases will spread, because warming temperatures will cause changes in the habitats of wild birds such as ducks and geese that can carry avian flu. Russia reported the first case of the H5N8 avian flu passing from birds to humans.
- Rise of Viruses and Bacteria: Scientists are concerned that viruses and bacteria may rise, fthe rom thawing permafrost and ice. In the summer of 2016, there was an outbreak of anthrax in a remote part of Siberia. Dozens of people were infected, and a young boy was killed. Around 2,300 reindeer perished in the outbreak.
- Anthrax is a serious infectious disease caused by bacteria that can remain dormant as spores. Spores of anthrax can remain viable for at least a few decades in frozen soil and ice. As carcasses of infected animals (including those of extinct mammoths) thaw, there can be more disease outbreaks.
- Another concern is the emergence of viruses and bacteria with the potential to cause epidemics. These disease-causing microbes might be dormant for hundreds or even thousands of years.
- Genetic material from the H1N1 influenza virus that caused the Spanish Flu pandemic of 1918, as well as that of smallpox have been recovered from permafrost. The reemergence of a virus like smallpox (which have been eradicated) would be disturbing since humans are no longer routinely vaccinated.
- From Tibet: Even glacial ice is now melting. In recent times, 15,000-year-old-viruses (including 28 different kinds identified for the first time) were found in glacial ice from the Tibetan Plateau.
- Urgent action: In order to curtail climate change and save the permafrost, global CO2 emissions are needed to be reduced by 45% over the next decade, and that they fall to zero after 2050. To mitigate climate change, there is a need to take a global collective action. If one country cuts its emissions, that is going to be of little use if the others do not follow suit.
- Scientific journal Nature suggested building a 100-metre-long dam in front of the Jakobshavn glacier (Greenland), the worst affected by Arctic melting, to contain its erosion.
- Combining artificial icebergs - An Indonesian architect has won an award for his project Refreeze the Arctic, which consists of collecting water from melted glaciers, desalinating it and refreezing it to create large hexagonal ice blocks. Thanks to their shape, these icebergs could then be combined to create frozen masses.
- Awareness - The tundra and the permafrost beneath it may seem far away, but no matter where we live, the everyday choices we make contribute to climate change. By reducing the carbon footprint, investing in energy-efficient products, and supporting climate-friendly businesses, legislation, and policies, we can help preserve the world’s permafrost and avert a vicious cycle of an ever-warming planet.
- Summary: Climate change is here and now. Early action alone will save the world.
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