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Alaska had it's hottest ever recorded summer in 2019 [1] and for quite a few years they've been significantly above average. It's been said the Arctic is the c

by grecy 6y ago

Alaska had it's hottest ever recorded summer in 2019 [1] and for quite a few years they've been significantly above average. It's been said the Arctic is the canary in the coalmine for climate change. Once more of the glaciers and permafrost melt more of suns heat energy will be absorbed rather than reflected, and climate change will accelerate. [1] https://www.climate.gov/news-features/event-tracker/high-temperatures-smash-all-time-records-alaska-early-july-2019 https://www.climate.gov/news-features/event-tracker/high-tem... https://www.ktva.com/story/40990489/anchorage-officially-saw-the-hottest-and-driest-summer-on-record https://www.ktva.com/story/40990489/anchorage-officially-saw... [1] https://phys.org/news/2019-07-alaska-shatters-temperature-largest-city.html https://phys.org/news/2019-07-alaska-shatters-temperature-la...

toomuchtodo 6y ago
Of particular worry is accelerated methane release from peat bogs in the thawing permafrost, creating a positive feedback loop (with potentially irreversible consequences) [1] [2]. We’re rapidly running out of runway to mitigate the worst of climate change. I dread to think how many joules of energy it’s going to take for us to stop emitting carbon, but also sequester that released since the Industrial Age began. I suppose there is some consolation in that enough sunlight hits the Earth in an hour to power humanity for a year, so the clean energy is there for the taking. It’s just going to take decades of sunlight to step back down the carbon curve [3]. Such is the cost of burning ancient sunlight. [1]https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arctic_methane_emissions https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arctic_methane_emissions [2]https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Climate_change_feedback https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Climate_change_feedback [3]https://www.sandia.gov/~jytsao/Solar%20FAQs.pdf https://www.sandia.gov/~jytsao/Solar%20FAQs.pdf
- 2close4comfort 6y ago
  I think that permafrost loss being accelerated and the affect it has had on overall temps is concerning. I wonder what man-made acceleration of permafrost loss like the hydraulic mining has speed up this process that has been taking place since 2013 and I think we are seeing the results. Sad really.
  - blaser-waffle 6y ago
    The clathrate gun has fired. Things are going to be worse than just "sad".
- kiddico 6y ago
  Admittedly I know very little about the topic, but I wonder if it's feasible to locate large concentrations of methane and capture and store it. Maybe give us a chance to at least slow the feedback loop down.
  - toomuchtodo 6y ago
    Based on my crude understanding, I believe it’s too defuse to effectively capture and store or flare across the permafrost. This is why it’s crucial for us to responsibly manage natural gas wells that we can properly control the release or leakage of gas from.

by grecy 6y ago

toomuchtodo 6y ago

Of particular worry is accelerated methane release from peat bogs in the thawing permafrost, creating a positive feedback loop (with potentially irreversible consequences) [1] [2]. We’re rapidly running out of runway to mitigate the worst of climate change. I dread to think how many joules of energy it’s going to take for us to stop emitting carbon, but also sequester that released since the Industrial Age began. I suppose there is some consolation in that enough sunlight hits the Earth in an hour to power humanity for a year, so the clean energy is there for the taking. It’s just going to take decades of sunlight to step back down the carbon curve [3]. Such is the cost of burning ancient sunlight. [1]https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arctic_methane_emissions https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arctic_methane_emissions [2]https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Climate_change_feedback https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Climate_change_feedback [3]https://www.sandia.gov/~jytsao/Solar%20FAQs.pdf https://www.sandia.gov/~jytsao/Solar%20FAQs.pdf

2close4comfort 6y ago
I think that permafrost loss being accelerated and the affect it has had on overall temps is concerning. I wonder what man-made acceleration of permafrost loss like the hydraulic mining has speed up this process that has been taking place since 2013 and I think we are seeing the results. Sad really.
- blaser-waffle 6y ago
  The clathrate gun has fired. Things are going to be worse than just "sad".
kiddico 6y ago
Admittedly I know very little about the topic, but I wonder if it's feasible to locate large concentrations of methane and capture and store it. Maybe give us a chance to at least slow the feedback loop down.
- toomuchtodo 6y ago
  Based on my crude understanding, I believe it’s too defuse to effectively capture and store or flare across the permafrost. This is why it’s crucial for us to responsibly manage natural gas wells that we can properly control the release or leakage of gas from.