The accelerating unstoppable chain reaction caused by the  release of the Arctic's vast stores of the potent GHgas methane.

This would devastate the planet and end most all life.

Emission leads to

global warming

CO2

emission   

 

The feedbacks feed even more GHGases into the atmosphere and an irreversible accleration of global heating is established that won't end till all the frozen stores of carbon have been released and planet Earth settles into an entirely new super 'hothouse' state.

 

Very little life would be able to survive on such a superheating of the planet.

And the planet would go on heating for thousands of years.

 

With new evidence form the planet's distant past scientists now think that the worst mass extinction events of the past have been due to just such a  runaway heating from the release of the planets stores of methane. 

The summertime Arctic Ocean is now in self accelerated melt down losing ice three times as fast as the scientists had estimated.

 

Instead of taking till the end of the century to melt under continued global warming it will be gone before 2030 and possibly in just a few years.  

 

 

The Continuous Arctic Ocean  ice in the summertime is the cooling air conditioner of the entire Northern hemisphere and has a cooling effect (albedo) on the planet.

 

This is due to the vast expanse of white  ice and snow reflecting away (90%) the heat energy of the sun.

 

As the ice disappears the cooling region is replaced by the dark open ocean (and exposed land) that absorbs heat.

 

This sudden change of climate could be catastrophic for agriculture in the Northern hemisphere.

It will boost the global warming of the planet -  in the order of another degree C.  

                Arctic emission of vast stores of CO2 and methane from permafrost soil. 

 

The loss of Arctic ocean ice will lead to a sudden and large increase in the rate of Arctic warming (already the highest on the planet) and that will accelerate the thawing of the permafrost on land.

 

Thawing permafrost releases CO2 and Methane, increasing atmospheric global warming >> which increases thawing of pemafrost etc.etc.

N.B. Runaway has been the big fear since the early 90s, but is not now being recognized by any governments nor the UN and is given little attention by the scientific and environmental community.

Runaway is the nightmare scenario that is being denied by all leaders on the climate change issue.  

                                        Meltdown of summer Arctic ocean ice.

 

 

 

 

Heat/energy in > (more than)  Heat/energy out

  FOUR STAGES OF RUNAWAY

 

1. Under global warming the Arctic is warming faster than any other region.

 

2. The Arctic Ocean ice  is melting away with each Summer.

This results in the loss of the summertime Artic Ocean cooling effect due to ice reflecting away heat energy and open ocean  absorbing heat energy.

 

3. In the warming Arctic Permafrost thaws every summer, releasing frozen carbon as it does.

 

4. The warming Arctic ocean melts the methane hydrates that release vast amounts of methane.

 

 

 

Methane is an extrmely powerful GHGas having over 70X the heat forcing of CO2 during its atmospheric life time of 12 years

when it is oxidised to other powerful GHGases CO2 and water vapour.

 

So methane is the perfect GHGas for triggering

and driving runaway global heating.

 

Land based permafrost

           = 2 to 3 X total atmospheric carbon.

Thawing permafrost emits CO2 and Methane.

 

Arctic Ocean coastal methane hydrates\

                =   at least 50% of atmospheric carbon

                         emitted as pure methane.

 

                Methane Emission from sunsea coastal methane hydrates.

 

The largest single store of GHGas on the planet is methane locked under pressure in ice as methane hydrate.

 

The scientists have agreed for 15 years that they will release methane from the Artic under global warming.

 

Research shows they are doing so already with very high levels of methane in the ocean water and the air above in their vicinity (Siberia).

 

 

Warming of the Arctic is already thawing permafrost.

 

As permafrost thaws its organic matter releases carbon as CO2 and Methane GHGases.

 

The map  shows the vast area of permafrost in Alaska Canada Scandanavia and most of all Siberia.

Siberia is warming faster than the rest of the Arctic.  

 

 

 

Methane Hydrates

Fossil  fuel

   GHGas

emissions 

An ice free

Arctic Ocean.

Methane Hydrates.

The greenhouse effect is scientifically more like an electric blanket roaund the planet.

 

                GHGases actively constantly radiate heat to the planet's surface,

                                     for as long as they last in the atmosphere

Natural greenhouse effect.

 

 

Arctic

sea ice

melts

Temperature rises

Temperature rises

The Chain Reaction

leading to detonation of the Methane Arctic Permafrost and Methane Hydrate Time Bomb.

 

PLANETARY CATASTROPHE 

The Earth is  still  warming