The recent emergence and increase of industrial contamination pose a significant environmental threat to the vast Arctic region. This peril is mainly attributed to the rapid thawing of the permafrost, frozen grounds that have a temperature of 0 degrees Celsius or below throughout at least two consecutive years. Permafrost is made up of soil, rocks, and sand held firmly by ice. They’re predominantly found in Arctic regions like Greenland, Alaska (USA), Canada, Russia, and Eastern Europe, as stated by NASA. While they remain frozen year-round, these areas are not perpetually covered in snow.
The Findings of the Recent Study on Thawing Permafrost
The research identified approximately 4,500 industrial facilities in permafrost regions believed to have contributed to creating between 13,000 and 20,000 contaminated sites. Currently, around 1,000 known industrial sites and an estimated 2,200 to 4,800 known contaminated sites are feared to be unstable due to thawing permafrost.
The types of industrial waste rampant in the region include drilling and mining wastes and toxic substances such as drilling muds and fluids, mine waste heaps, heavy metals, spilled fuels, and radioactive waste. As climate change causes the Arctic to warm nearly four times faster than the rest of the globe, more permafrost is thawing rapidly. This event threatens to destabilize not only the industrial sites but also the contaminated areas.
By this century’s end, nearly 2,100 industrial sites and between 5,600 and 10,000 contaminated sites are projected to be at risk from destabilization.
The Reasons for Establishing These Sites
Once thought to be exceptionally stable and dependable, the Arctic is far from an uninhabited region. It is scattered with countless industrial facilities such as oilfields, pipelines, mines, and military bases, all of which have been established on permafrost. The toxic waste from these facilities has been buried there, assuming it would remain permanently locked away. However, this assumption is proving to be incorrect as the planet continues to heat up.
Implications of Thawing Permafrost
One of the most severe consequences of thawing permafrost is the release of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere. According to a 2022 report by NASA, Arctic permafrost holds an estimated 1,700 billion metric tons of carbon, including methane and carbon dioxide. This amount of carbon is approximately 51 times more than all the carbon released as fossil fuel emissions globally in 2019.
An alarming study by Columbia University in 2022 noted that the thawing of permafrost might result in the unleashing of thousands of dormant viruses and bacteria. These could be new viruses or ancient ones for which humans lack immunity and cures, or diseases society thought it had eradicated, like smallpox or the Bubonic plague.
To conclude, the threat posed by thawing permafrost in the Arctic region and the resultant industrial contamination is significantly crucial. Not only does it impact the environment adversely, but it also potentially poses severe health risks to humanity. Therefore, it’s imperative to create strategies that can mitigate these issues while continuing to monitor the situation closely.