Summary points: > The lakes are a type of thermokarst lake, which form when thawing permafrost causes the surface to collapse and fill in with meltwater. These

Summary points: > The lakes are a type of thermokarst lake, which form when thawing permafrost causes the surface to collapse and fill in with meltwater. These ones are bright blue and bubbling, because of methane that's leaking into them before escaping into the atmosphere. > Researchers announced that they're also monitoring around 7,000 gas bubbles or 'pingos', which have formed in Siberia and are at risk of exploding to form huge craters. https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13941923 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13941923 > Methane is roughly 30 times more potent than CO2 as a heat-trapping gas. > By 2100, up to 205 billion T of carbon emissions will be released by permafrost if climate change continues to intensify. > Previous research had suggested that a global temperature rise of 1.5°C (2.7°F) would be enough to start the melting of Siberia's permafrost, and scientists are concerned that these lakes and pingos are a sign it's already happening. > What's interesting is that the satellite data suggests the leaks are happening year-round in these regions, even at temperatures close to 0°C (32°F).