![]() He starts close to the glacier front and works his way up to where it starts. "I have colleagues all over the globe who are doing similar things and they're all seeing the same thing," he added.Īt the end of winter, Kohler pounds long, metal stakes into Kronebreen's ice to check the health of the glacier. ![]() "We're documenting the effect of the climate change locally here," Kohler said. In 30 years, he's observed Kronebreen receding by 2.5 miles. There, he measures a glacier called Kronebreen, one of the largest of Svalbard's 1,500 glaciers. Twice a year, Kohler visits a remote outpost called Ny Alesund, home to the world's northernmost research station. "It's dramatic to see the changes from year to year," said Jack Kohler, an American glaciologist with the Norwegian Polar Institute, which advises the Norwegian government on changes in the Arctic. Disappearing glaciersĪnd in Svalbard, the glaciers truly are vanishing. As a glacier recedes, space can open at the edge of the permafrost, which then allows gas to escape. Permafrost, a frozen blanket of soil, can lock massive amounts of ancient methane gas underground. "It matters if we're going to commit to responsible methane management," he added. "If there's a huge natural rush of methane about to come, then that will change our planning for methane management," he said. As mighty glaciers melt in the Arctic, new research finds million-year-old methane gas trapped beneath the ice is surfacing, with a potential to further warm the planet. More than 100 countries, including the U.S., have signed the Global Methane Pledge, which is a commitment to cut emissions 30% by 2030.īut Hodson is concerned the world's accounting of how much methane is emitted each year does not include the gas emerging from the Arctic. The primary sources of methane come from the production of fossil fuels and agriculture. While methane is short-lived in the atmosphere, it is far better at trapping heat. ![]() Carbon dioxide emissions from cars and factories are the primary driver of climate change, and can stay in the atmosphere for hundreds of years.
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