Big Picture Science - De-Permafrosting
(REPEAT) Above the Arctic Circle, much of the land is
underlaid by permafrost. But climate change is causing it to thaw. This is not
good news for the planet.
As the carbon rich ground warms, microbes
start to feast… releasing greenhouse gases that will warm the Earth even more.
Another possible downside was envisioned by a
science-fiction author. Could ancient pathogens–released from the permafrost’s
icy grip–cause new pandemics? We investigate what happens when the far north
defrosts.
Guests:
- Jacquelyn Gill – Associate professor of paleoecology at the University of Maine.
- Jim Shepard – Novelist and short story writer, and teacher of English at Williams College, and author of “Phase Six.”
- Scott Saleska – Global change ecologist, professor of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology at the University of Arizona, and co-founder of IsoGenie.
This repeat podcast originally aired on September 6, 2021
Download podcast at - http://bigpicturescience.org/episodes/de-permafrosting
You can listen to this and other episodes at http://bigpicturescience.org/, and be sure to check out Blog Picture Science, the companion blog to the radio show.
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