International : Arctic ice-covered land is gradually warming. There is concern that hazardous compounds may be released throughout the region. By the end of this century, melting ice could destabilize structures at 2,000 industrial sites, such as mines and pipelines, and release hazardous chemicals, putting more than 5,000 already contaminated sites at greater risk, researchers report in the journal Nature Communications. Liked it. The figures are based on the first full analysis of where industrial pollutants could be released from melting Arctic ice, a Science News report said. But there may be more contaminated sites that we don’t know about, said Moritz Langer, an expert at the Alfred Wegener Institute in Potsdam, Germany.
Researchers worry that we’ve only seen the tip of the iceberg, and that toxic compounds released from these areas could harm the health of fish and other species that live in Arctic rivers, as well as the health of the organisms that depend on them. Permafrost is a permanently frozen layer that lies on or beneath the Earth’s surface. It is usually made up of dirt, gravel and sand mixed with snow. National Geographic reports that for at least two years, permafrost typically stays at or below 0°C.
Melting permafrost has a significant impact on the environment. One of its most harmful consequences is the release of greenhouse gases into the environment. A 2022 NASA report estimates that Arctic ice alone contains 1,700 billion metric tons of carbon, including methane and carbon dioxide. According to a 2022 Columbia University study, warming permafrost will release thousands of dormant viruses and germs. The report warns that some of them “may be new viruses emerging, while others may contain ancient ones to which humans are immune.” Diseases like smallpox and bubonic plague, which have already been eradicated by society, could pose a major threat to humanity.
