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Devastating effect of methane, as Arctic permafrost thaws

Release of methane gas from Arctic permafrost could devastate global economy: study  http://www.abc.net.au/news/2013-07-25/arctic-methane-could-devastate-economy3a-study/4842994  By David Mack and Stuart Gray

European scientists say the release of large amounts of methane gas from thawing Arctic permafrost could devastate the global economy.

Permafrost, or soil below the freezing point, has been thawing under rising global temperatures for many years.

The thawing is releasing the powerful greenhouse gas methane, which is concentrated in the Arctic tundra and is also found as semi-solid gas hydrates in the sea. A study in the science journal Nature says the release of 50-gigatonnes of methane over a decade will result in flooding, sea-level rise, agriculture damage and health impacts amounting to $60 trillion – which was roughly the size of the entire global economy last year.

The researchers say the impacts will be particularly devastating in developing countries..

Separate research also shows permafrost melting at alarming rates in the Antarctic.

July 26, 2013 - Posted by Christina Macpherson | 2 WORLD, climate change