Scientists shocked by Arctic permafrost thawing 70 years sooner than predicted

[bronxiteforever]

Reuters via Guardian
6/18/19

Ice blocks frozen solid for thousands of years destabilized
‘The climate is now warmer than at any time in last 5,000 years’

Permafrost at outposts in the Canadian Arctic is thawing 70 years earlier than predicted, an expedition has discovered, in the latest sign that the global climate crisis is accelerating even faster than scientists had feared A team from the University of Alaska Fairbanks said they were astounded by how quickly a succession of unusually hot summers had destabilised the upper layers of giant subterranean ice blocks that had been frozen solid for millennia.

...“It’s a canary in the coalmine,” said Louise Farquharson, a postdoctoral researcher and co-author of the study. “It’s very likely that this phenomenon is affecting a much more extensive region and that’s what we’re going to look at next.“

“Thawing permafrost is one of the tipping points for climate breakdown and it’s happening before our very eyes,” said Jennifer Morgan, executive director of Greenpeace International. “This premature thawing is another clear signal that we must decarbonise our economies, and immediately.”

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2019/jun/18/arctic-permafrost-canada-science-climate-crisis?CMP=Share_iOSApp_Other

[shanny]

4. No. Real scientists have been shocked over and over

that their climate models consistently under-estimated the multiple feed-back loops they encounter. They are never "extreme" enough. I remember in the early 00s when they predicted a sea-level rise of 1 foot by the end of this century. !!!

It is all laughably optimistic now...or would be if the consequences were not so dire.

[bronxiteforever]

6. +1

The rate of permafrost melting is determined by measurements conducted, like you said, by real scientists as detailed in the article.The feedback loops are indeed frightening and the scientific models are never extreme enough.

[shanny]

2. ah yes: once again the worst-case scenario

is not "worst" enough

[zipplewrath]

3. Slow motion crash

“This premature thawing is another clear signal that we must decarbonise our economies, and immediately.”

I'm afraid that it's a bit late. We are in a slow motion crash where we've already hit the wall and slamming on the brakes now isn't going to help. It isn't clear at this point that we know enough to know how to restore the climate. About the best we might be able to do is take our foot of the gas and shut off the engine before a fire starts.

[Eugene]

5. Uh, Secretary Wheeler, what happened with that 50 to 75 years out prediction?

https://thehill.com/policy/energy-environment/434884-epa-head-says-climate-change-threat-50-75-years-out

"Faster than expected:" the unofficial motto of Environment & Energy.

[bronxiteforever]

10. +1 That motto is sad but true

[pscot]

18. Google "faster than expected" images

and you get pictures of melting ice.

[CrispyQ]

7. The 1% think the eaters & takers - that's most of us, BTW - are going to die off & leave

beautiful Earth all to them. They have no idea how hot the planet already is & the changes that are coming. Living in a million dollar bunker isn't anything like visiting one every few weekends.

[delisen]

8. Plus medical advances slow to a halt and

hazardous waste accumulates and worsens when no longer have workforce and knowledge to deal with it-nucleal power plants need super skilled workers for maintenance

[Nay]

9. That's the plan. After most of us die off, they'll pay the scientists billions to invent

the carbon scrubbers needed to clean the air and hopefully restore a livable condition. There will be NO plan for the majority of humanity, since many years ago we rejected any kind of population control or limits on our greedy behavior. The last gasp of all the 'free' people: "Nobody's gonna tell ME what to do!1!!111!"

Oh, and BTW, the hippies were right.

[hedda_foil]

11. That's what I've been thinking too.

The .01% have consultants on the payroll who filled them in on climate change years ago. This is their solution; let the billions of extra eaters die off and leave a pristine new world to them. They are no doubt preparing to build domed cities that let sunlight in while filtering and cooling the toxic air outside. A few years ago (perhaps 10?) there were a couple of movies that had the elite living in luxurious, floating/flying environments while the urviving riffraff below had to literally "buy time" to keep living. Something like that may not be far off. I have no doubt they are capable of thinking like that.

[bronxiteforever]

13. They will have to live like the Morlocks in HG Wells Time Machine

Underground and feeding on human flesh.

[bronxiteforever]

12. +1 Jared Harris character quote in HBO Chernobyl

[Duppers]

14. Huh? What?

❓

[bronxiteforever]

15. GOP doesn't want scientists to find the truth about climate change

I think what we are seeing is scientists becoming involved in politics for first time. The March For Science is an example. I think scientists and those of us that believe scientific method is the way for finding truth have been shocked at the attack on the very institution.
I remember that heroes for the space program were engineers equipped with slide rulers. There was a belief that scientific truth would be accepted. The GOP has taught us otherwise.

[Duppers]

16. The GOP doesn't want the truth out.

Scientists already know the truth.

[bronxiteforever]

17. I agree.