Zachery Rich
Period 4 
22 Sep 2018
Unexpected future boost of methane possible from Arctic permafrost
	A NASA-funded team has discovered organic carbon in the frozen soils of the Arctic. The thawing of that soil, also known as abrupt thawing, causes an Arctic lake called a thermokarst. Once thawed, soil microbes turn the carbon into greenhouse gasses, which contribute to global and climate warming. Using computer technology and field measurements, a team of international scientists led by Katey Walter Anthony from the University of Alaska, Fairbanks has proven that abrupt thawing causes climate warming to accelerate. In the case of a thermokarst, that liquid water can cause a depression in the land which activates even faster thawing. Although this seems extensive, it still only makes up 1 percent of the methane budget, the other 99 percent is a human by product. Researchers are attempting to find a way to incorporate this into climate projections to be sure of the outcome of the permafrost-derived methane in the mid 21st century. Another piece of unknown information is the difference of carbon alterations in the atmosphere between lake gain and lake loss. 


References
Gray, E. (2018, August 20). Unexpected future boost of methane possible from Arctic 
permafrost. Retrieved September 20, 2018, from https://climate.nasa.gov/news/2785/unexpected-future-boost-of-methane-possible-from-arctic-permafrost/