The Economist recently spoke with Leonid Yurganov, senior research scientist for the Joint Center for Earth Systems Technology (JCET), among other scientists for a special report entitled “Uncovering an ocean,” detailing the melting of ice in the Arctic region.
Yurganov weighed in on the issue of permafrost covered in the article, saying that “there are a lot of white spots in our knowledge,” when it comes to the matter. This is characterized in the report as “extraordinary” given the possible dangers of permafrost thaw due to climate change, as methane hydrates which are contained in permafrost are 25 times more efficient at trapping heat than carbon dioxide could be released into the atmosphere as a result, though in fairness these particular hydrates have a relatively short-life of 6-10 years before oxidation in the atmosphere.
You can read more of the original article and its coverage of Arctic ice issues here.
