Melting in the Arctic has caused
the release of millions of tons of methane -- a gas 20 times more damaging than
carbon dioxide.
The first evidence that millions of tons of a greenhouse gas
20 times more potent than carbon dioxide is being released into the atmosphere
from beneath the Arctic seabed has been discovered by scientists.
The Independent has been passed details of preliminary
findings suggesting that massive deposits of sub-sea methane are bubbling to the
surface as the Arctic region becomes warmer and its ice retreats.
Underground stores of methane are important because scientists
believe their sudden release has in the past been responsible for rapid
increases in global temperatures, dramatic changes to the climate, and even the
mass extinction of species. Scientists aboard a research ship that has sailed
the entire length of Russia's northern coast have discovered intense
concentrations of methane - sometimes at up to 100 times background levels -
over several areas covering thousands of square miles of the Siberian
continental shelf.
Meanwhile, the oceans are growing warmer. Global ocean
temperatures have risen by about 0.2 degrees Fahrenheit (0.1 degrees Celsius) in
the last 30 years. And hurricanes are fueled by the warm, moist air over the
tropical Atlantic and the
Gulf of Mexico. The warmer the ocean surface, the
more energy is available to fuel a storm's ferocious winds.
Scientists have predicted that as
global warming continues to heat up the ocean,
hurricanes could become more frequent, more intense or both, and several
scientists think that change is already evident.
As
sea surface temperatures rise, they provide more
fuel to the convection that drives the swirling storms. This added energy could
notch up the speed of hurricanes' winds (though several scientists say the winds
can only increase so much)
Colder than usual January temperatures in the United States
have brought the climate change deniers out of hibernation, flooding websites,
and opinion and letters pages about the "great global warming hoax". They even
organized their own conference on denial in New York City this week.
If overall global warming exceeds
5.5°F (3°C), many parts of the world are likely to see substantially
increased risks of drought, floods, and wildfires, climate scientists say.
In addition, there will probably be large-scale changes in vegetation
types, a U.K.-based research team reports in tomorrow's issue of the
Proceedings of the National Academy of Science.
