Comments on: Arctic Tundra Surprises Scientists With Autumnal Methane Burps http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/80beats/2008/12/03/arctic-tundra-surprises-scientists-with-autumnal-methane-burps/ 80beats is DISCOVER's news aggregator, weaving together the choicest tidbits from the best articles covering the day's most compelling topics. Tue, 14 Feb 2012 18:43:08 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.2.1 By: Lillian U. Duffy http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/80beats/2008/12/03/arctic-tundra-surprises-scientists-with-autumnal-methane-burps/comment-page-1/#comment-938948 Lillian U. Duffy Sat, 21 May 2011 21:03:23 +0000 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/80beats/2008/12/03/arctic-tundra-surprises-scientists-with-autumnal-methane-burps/#comment-938948 You should take part in a contest for top-of-the-line blogs on the web. I will suggest this site! You should take part in a contest for top-of-the-line blogs on the web. I will suggest this site!

]]> By: Brad Arnold http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/80beats/2008/12/03/arctic-tundra-surprises-scientists-with-autumnal-methane-burps/comment-page-1/#comment-15403 Brad Arnold Thu, 04 Dec 2008 07:27:11 +0000 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/80beats/2008/12/03/arctic-tundra-surprises-scientists-with-autumnal-methane-burps/#comment-15403 Thirty percent of the Earth’s surface is land. Twenty percent of the land is permafrost. There is over a trillion tons of carbon frozen and buried in the land permafrost. More than half the land covered by the topmost layer of permafrost will probably thaw by 2050. Permafrost ice contains a lot of methane (CH4) from past decomposition. CH4 is 70 times stronger than CO2 over 20 years. Decomposition will speed up when the permafrost thaws. A very large release of CH4 when the ice melts, followed by large chronic emission of CO2 and CH4. The CH4 level in the air never reached 750 parts per billion (ppb) the last million years, but is now 1,780 ppb. Currently there is about 5 billion tons of CH4 in the air; 10 billion more would be like doubling the CO2 level for 20 years. Since the future amount of CH4 (or CO2) entering the air from melting permafrost isn’t known, it is not included at all in current climate models. The UN warned this year natural CH4 emissions are a major climate wild card. Thirty percent of the Earth’s surface is land. Twenty percent of the land is permafrost. There is over a trillion tons of carbon frozen and buried in the land permafrost. More than half the land covered by the topmost layer of permafrost will probably thaw by 2050.

Permafrost ice contains a lot of methane (CH4) from past decomposition. CH4 is 70 times stronger than CO2 over 20 years. Decomposition will speed up when the permafrost thaws. A very large release of CH4 when the ice melts, followed by large chronic emission of CO2 and CH4.

The CH4 level in the air never reached 750 parts per billion (ppb) the last million years, but is now 1,780 ppb. Currently there is about 5 billion tons of CH4 in the air; 10 billion more would be like doubling the CO2 level for 20 years. Since the future amount of CH4 (or CO2) entering the air from melting permafrost isn’t known, it is not included at all in current climate models. The UN warned this year natural CH4 emissions are a major climate wild card.

]]> By: jann http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/80beats/2008/12/03/arctic-tundra-surprises-scientists-with-autumnal-methane-burps/comment-page-1/#comment-15380 jann Wed, 03 Dec 2008 23:22:39 +0000 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/80beats/2008/12/03/arctic-tundra-surprises-scientists-with-autumnal-methane-burps/#comment-15380 hey this is a good science article hey this is a good science article

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