Alaska’s newest lakes are belching methane

23.09.2022, Alaska. Heat spells this year have filled the news with drying lakes and rivers. In Alaska, however, heat is meaning that new lakes are being born. This is not the only anomaly between these new thermokarst lakes and others around the world. Thermokarst lakes are the result of thawing permafrost that collapses in on itself. Microbes in the thawing permafrost digest organic matter, releasing greenhouse gases like methane and carbon dioxide. When released, these gases make their way through the more permeable ground and then bubble up through the water. The result? Belching lakes!

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