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Once the permafrost starts to melt, it will cause a positive feedback loop causing all trapped methane to rapidly be released, doubling the amount of greenhouse

Once the permafrost starts to melt, it will cause a positive feedback loop causing all trapped methane to rapidly be released, doubling the amount of greenhouse gases in our atmosphere. It's literally a ticking bomb. I worry about it.

raverbashing 8y ago
But then again, methane has a short half life in the atmosphere.
- mirimir 8y ago
  Sure, but there's a lot of it there.
  - c0nducktr 8y ago
    And even after it's 'short life', it just breaks down into a less potent greenhouse gas.
    - mirimir 8y ago
      Yes, there's that too :(
- bigbugbag 8y ago
  then again, this is not a process that can be stopped once started and there more than enough methane to have dramatic consequences. then again this is one reinforcing feedback loop among several others. Are you familiar with the concept of planet albedo, and how it is changing on earth due to melting polar cap? Ever heard of ocean's anoxic events and their consequences ? And the list goes on.
  - mirimir 8y ago
    Yes, it's hard to know. But pushing too hard on extreme projections is too easily gamed by deniers.
  - raverbashing 8y ago
    Yes yes The reason I'm citing this is not because I think we shouldn't worry, but because if the methane is released (and this depends on the release speed as well) we might have a period with an atmosphere with high concentrations of methane, then a sudden reduction. Runaway greenhouse gas concentrations and higher temperature might trigger (the reason being we know some things, but we don't know everything) a runaway CO2 capture process. It sounds SciFi, and it probably is, and it seems Nitrogen is a limiting factor. But I wouldn't say it is impossible. Or it could be possible with human help. Then at the end of this period we could end up with less CO2 in the atmosphere, with oil running out and the clathrates emptied.
bigbugbag 8y ago
This just in: permafrost has already been melting for a little while now.
- awestroke 8y ago
  Nice nitpick. I am of course referring to the fact that the ongoing melting of the permafrost will soon reach a point where methane will start to be released on a terrifying scale.

raverbashing 8y ago

But then again, methane has a short half life in the atmosphere.

mirimir 8y ago
Sure, but there's a lot of it there.
- c0nducktr 8y ago
  And even after it's 'short life', it just breaks down into a less potent greenhouse gas.
  - mirimir 8y ago
    Yes, there's that too :(
bigbugbag 8y ago
then again, this is not a process that can be stopped once started and there more than enough methane to have dramatic consequences. then again this is one reinforcing feedback loop among several others. Are you familiar with the concept of planet albedo, and how it is changing on earth due to melting polar cap? Ever heard of ocean's anoxic events and their consequences ? And the list goes on.
- mirimir 8y ago
  Yes, it's hard to know. But pushing too hard on extreme projections is too easily gamed by deniers.
- raverbashing 8y ago
  Yes yes The reason I'm citing this is not because I think we shouldn't worry, but because if the methane is released (and this depends on the release speed as well) we might have a period with an atmosphere with high concentrations of methane, then a sudden reduction. Runaway greenhouse gas concentrations and higher temperature might trigger (the reason being we know some things, but we don't know everything) a runaway CO2 capture process. It sounds SciFi, and it probably is, and it seems Nitrogen is a limiting factor. But I wouldn't say it is impossible. Or it could be possible with human help. Then at the end of this period we could end up with less CO2 in the atmosphere, with oil running out and the clathrates emptied.

bigbugbag 8y ago

This just in: permafrost has already been melting for a little while now.

awestroke 8y ago
Nice nitpick. I am of course referring to the fact that the ongoing melting of the permafrost will soon reach a point where methane will start to be released on a terrifying scale.