Researchers have discovered that the bubbles and bubbles coming out of some lakes in Alaska may be hiding a deadly weapon. These new lakes, known as thermokarst, are formed by the mass melting of Alaska’s ice sheets and permafrost. Due to climate change, Alaska’s ice sheets are melting and flowing. This also weakens the region’s permafrost and causes thawing lakes to form. Permafrosts are areas where snow melts year-round and remains as land. It is these areas that are now turning into lakes as the snow melts. As the snow melts, the water level increases and many small and large lakes are formed in the snow-covered swampy areas. These lakes emit large amounts of methane gas that is capable of endangering life on Earth.
Many climate-damaging gases, including methane, are released from these lakes in the form of bubbles. Anyone who observes lakes can see that gases bubble up from underground to the surface of the lake, then burst and release these gases into the air. In this way, hundreds of lakes emit dangerous gases every second in hundreds of thousands of bubbles.
Permafrosts
Permafrosts are marshes where there is a mixture of snow and soil. In a region as close to the poles as Alaska, the permafrosts were as firm as normal land. Buildings and roads were built on top of these permafrosts. But with the increase in temperature, this situation has turned upside down. As the temperature increased in dry Alaska, wildfires continued. With this, the temperature in the region increased further and the permafrosts weakened and lakes began to form in large numbers. More information about the crisis created by the current thermokarsts was revealed in studies conducted as part of NASA’s Arctic Borneal Vulnerability Study. Researchers say that even the areas that used to be pine forests with soil up to three meters high have now turned into small lakes.
A source of methane
The Big Trail Lake Effect is what researchers call the combination of the formation of lakes and the emission of methane. Water seeps into permafrost cracks. A variety of bacteria along with water. These will cover all the sediments that have been buried for millions of years. Then the plant and animal remains begin to decompose. A large amount of methane gas is released from this. Researchers say that food items that have been kept in the freezer for a long time are an example of this. They stay safe in the freezer. But if the freezer door is opened and the temperature changes and the bacteria start to work, all this food will begin to rot. A similar situation occurs in the permafrost when the temperature rises and the water enters the frozen gaps, the researchers say.
English Summary: Melting ice in Alaska is forming new lakes full of bacteria ‘belching’ methane into the atmosphere, NASA scientist warns