Climate scientists from China, Japan, and Europe have discovered that annual methane emissions in Siberia have doubled over the past decade.
According to a statement from the Chinese Academy of Sciences' press office, this increase is due to the rise in fires in eastern Siberia and the increase in soil moisture in the western part of the region.
Professor Liu Ai of the Institute of Atmospheric Physics of the Chinese Academy of Sciences said: "We first noticed this trend in 2021, while analyzing satellite images of Siberia. This prompted us to conduct a series of measurements and experiments to verify the accuracy of the satellite data and to search for possible physical mechanisms behind this sharp increase in methane emissions into the atmosphere."
According to him, scientists are deeply concerned that the thawing of permafrost and increased microbial activity in Arctic soil and water could release massive amounts of methane, potentially accelerating global warming. Therefore, researchers continue to closely monitor methane emissions in the Arctic, Russian Siberia, and the northern regions of the United States and Canada.
A study of methane concentrations in the Northern Hemisphere, collected by spectrometers mounted on the Japanese satellite GOSAT between 2010 and 2023, revealed a sharp rise in methane levels over the Tunguska Plateau, the Ob River Basin, and other areas of Siberia.
Scientists' calculations show that methane emissions in Siberia have increased by 1.1 million tons per year in recent years, representing an increase of approximately 5% from previous emission levels. This means that emissions have more than doubled in the last decade, from about 5-6 million tons to 12 million tons per year, which is equivalent to the global increase in methane emissions from wetlands and lowland areas during the same period.
The largest increase in methane emissions was recorded during the warmer months, which scientists attribute to the different climatic effects between western and eastern Siberia.
According to researchers, unusually warm winters and hot springs contribute to increased soil moisture, accelerating the decomposition of organic matter and raising methane emissions by about 0.4 million tons annually. Higher summer temperatures in eastern Siberia increase the frequency of droughts and promote the growth of flammable shrubs, adding another 0.7 million tons to methane emissions.
Scientists point out that both trends are likely to worsen in the coming decades due to continued global warming, a factor that must be taken into account when assessing the impact of natural methane emissions on Earth's climate.
