Forecasts so far have shown that greenhouse gases from the melting of permafrost by 2100 will “only” contribute about 0.2 ° C to global warming. The joint research carried out by Prof. Jarosław Majka from the AGH University of Science and Technology in Kraków, Prof. Nikolaus Froitzheim from the University of Bonn and Dr Dmitry Zastrozhnov from the Russian Geological Research Institute in St. Petersburg, shows that they are optimistic forecasts.
Researchers observed that atmospheric methane concentrations in Siberia increased after the 2020 heatwave. This state was continued for the next months.
Geologists compared the spatial and temporal distribution of atmospheric methane concentrations in northern Siberia with geological maps. According to the researchers, atmospheric methane concentrations following last year’s heatwave may indicate that the increased gas emissions came from the limestone formations. The results of the study were published in the prestigious journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS) of the US National Academy of Sciences.
