Thawing Permafrost Triggers Carbon Release in the Arctic

“Just” one of the six dozen self-reinforcing Feedback Loops we have triggered.
Feedback loops are multiplicative; they trigger a quintessential “Domino Effect”.
“The headline of an article at SciTechDaily indicates recent findings in the Arctic: Thawing Permafrost Sparks Massive Carbon Release in the Arctic. The article was published 21 January 2025.”
“Here’s the subhead: “Recent findings indicate that the Arctic’s traditional role as a planetary cooling agent is faltering, with hotspots and wildfires nearly nullifying its carbon storage capabilities.”

“The first paragraph adds to the haunting outlook: “A detailed study spanning three decades reveals a shift towards a more carbon-emitting Arctic, due to longer growing seasons and increased microbial activity, especially during winters. The study maps these changes with unprecedented detail, offering a stark warning and a call to closely monitor these regions.”

“Beneath the subtitle “Disturbing Trends in Northern Carbon Emissions,” three paragraphs demonstrate the accuracy of the subtitle: “For thousands of years, the Arctic’s permafrost has acted as a vast carbon storage system, helping to regulate the planet’s climate. However, a new study published … January 21 … in Nature Climate Change reveals that rising temperatures and more frequent wildfires in the northern latitudes are significantly reducing this critical storage capacity.”

All of the above data and analysis is via my friend and colleague Professor Guy McPherson.
Guy’s full analysis can be found at: Science Snippets: Thawing Permafrost Triggers Carbon Release in the Arctic where readers can engage directly with Professor McPherson and support his world leading analysis.

Below are the last two articles I have written on the methane threat, for further reference:
“In this Climate Chat episode, we interview Dr. Vincent Gauci on how reducing air pollution results in increased atmospheric methane concentrations. Vincent Gauci is professor of Geography and Environmental Sciences and a Birmingham Professorial Fellow at the University of Birmingham in the UK. Professor Gauci investigates how the biosphere interacts with the atmosphere and he explores questions relating to how these interactions respond to various drivers of global change.
Reducing Air Pollution Increases Methane: Catch 22

Methane is a powerful greenhouse gas. Each molecule of methane—CH₄—is equivalent to 84 molecules of carbon dioxide, according to Climate Change Connection.
An article at Phys.Org published on 3 February 2025 is titled Satellite data analysis uncovers top 10 persistent methane sources. Here’s the lede: “A list of the top 10 global regions where natural or anthropogenic sources emit methane on a continuous, ‘persistent’ basis was recently published in Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics.”
Responding to Persistent Methane Sources
“Frozen, solid methane is turning into methane gas. “These phenomena have already been recorded in the Arctic, but this is the first time they have been detected in Antarctica,” says León, from the Geological and Mining Institute of Spain. His team met two EL PAÍS journalists on Antarctica’s King George Island on February 8, the day they ended their expedition. Their results, still very preliminary, suggest that the gas is bubbling up from the subsoil along faults, often through mud volcanoes hundreds of meters above the seabed.”
Methane Clathrates Erupting in Antarctica

To quote President Niinistö in Arkhangelsk: If we lose the Arctic, we lose the whole world
Professor McPherson and I plan to collaborate in the next few weeks in a critique of reporting on the great unravelling from the corporate media and their go to scientists, carefully chosen to not “Rock the Boat”.
That debate will appear in due course on this website and at GuyMcPherson.com

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About Kevin Hester

I'm an anti-imperialist, environmental activist and blue ocean sailor, who is passionate about the earth and all it's inhabitants without favour. Brace for imminent impact as we bare witness to the non-linear unraveling of the biosphere and habitability disappearing for most if not all complex life on the only habitable planet we know of. To quote President Niinistö in North Russia: ‘If We Lose the Arctic, We Lose the World’. Folks we have lost the Arctic.