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Permafrost Thawing, Another Consequence of Global Warming The consequences of such a process are extremely dangerous for the local population	By Tudor Raiciu, World and Health News Editor 20th of December 2005, 11:13 GMT Adjust text size:


An increasing number of researchers are bringing new evidence on the disequilibrium brought on by the devastating effects of global warming. Aside from the melting of the ice caps, weakening of marine currents which threaten to decrease the temperatures in the UK and the Scandinavian Peninsula, the new simulations carried out at the National Center for Atmospheric Research warn over the thawing of the permanently frozen soil, also known as permafrost, found in Canada, Alaska, Russia. Researchers warn that by 2050, half of the permafrost-covered surface might thaw, this percentage reaching 90 in 2100. Another consequence of this thawing is the release of a large quantity of carbon in the atmosphere. "People have used models to study permafrost before, but not within a fully interactive climate system model," says NCAR's David Lawrence, the lead author. The coauthor is Andrew Slater of the University of Colorado's National Snow and Ice Data Center. Permafrost is typically characterized by an active surface layer, extending anywhere from a few centimeters to several meters deep, which thaws during the summer and refreezes during the winter, and a deeper one. According to Lawrence's statements, deeper permafrost has not thawed since the last ice age, over 10,000 years ago, and will be largely unaffected by global warming in the coming century. Recent warming has degraded large sections of permafrost across central Alaska, with pockets of soil collapsing as the ice within it melts. The consequences of such a process are extremely dangerous for the local population and they can be observed with the naked eye: buckled highways and destabilized houses. Aside from the effects which can be seen, there is also the unseen part which contributes to the increase of the ocean levels. "Thawing permafrost could send considerable amounts of water to the oceans," Andrew Slater, co-author of the study said.

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