Permafrost feedback

Rewind to 1990ish when I started teaching 'A' level glaciation and periglaciation using the book written by the late Cuchlaine A.M King.
This involved periglaciation, fluvioglaciation, alases, baydjarakhs and all.
Along with the meteorology topic I also taught: Rossby Waves, Ekman Spirals and all, this was proper rigorous 'A' level geography, almost all of which has been lost in present specifications.

When teaching about permafrost, including a whole range of naleds, icings, active layer, pingos and ognips, we discussed the possible feedback loops if the permafrost was to start thawing in a world affected by climate change... this would release methane: a greenhouse gas, which would make the Polar regions warmer, which would thaw more permafrost etc... 

This New Scientist article confirms that this is happening rather earlier than 2100 or 'at some point'. Like right now... in my lifetime... this is less than ideal.



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