Is methane release from the Arctic unstoppable?
photo by Kayla Mathes and Brendan Rogers.
Is methane release from the Arctic unstoppable?
Global warming has already caused the Arctic to release more climate-warming methane—but exactly how much will depend closely on the actions we take to halt climate change.
Under the Arctic ice lies an extremely carbon-rich environment. Over thousands of years, plants in the Arctic have absorbed carbon dioxide (CO2) from the air to grow, before being buried under snow and ice during the winter, becoming part of the soil. If this perennially frozen ground thaws—as it is now, as a result of climate change—ancient plants are uncovered, alongside plant-eating microbes that break them down.
This releases two main climate-warming greenhouse gases: CO2, and even more potent methane.
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