As global temperatures gradually rise, the earth seems to be developing in the direction of a fireball as Hawking said.
The earth turns into a fireball
According to statistics, the current global average temperature has increased by about 1.1℃ compared with pre-industrial society, and this temperature change trend continues.
One of the most terrifying dangers brought about by rising temperatures is the melting of glaciers and permafrost all year round.
In recent years, humans have frequently discovered ancient animal remains in the tundra. The dangers involved are not just the possible release of methane and carbon dioxide.
Next, let’s find out. The remains of a 40,000-year-old animal were found in the tundra of northern Canada. Should humans be wary?
Melting glaciers
40,000-year-old animal remains
In 2022, a mining company was operating in the Eureka Creek permafrost in the Klondike gold mining area in northern Canada. Their main job was to mine gold.
However, when the workers used the excavation equipment and dug the second shovel, they felt something strange appeared under the soil.
looks dark, but not hard. seems to be a corpse .
The workers still remembered that in recent years, some animal remains often appeared in the tundra area. They often had high research value, so they quickly stopped working and went to check.
Mining
For example, mammoths, woolly rhinos, cave lions and prehistoric ponies have been discovered in the tundra of the northern hemisphere, which have greatly promoted human beings' understanding of earth's creatures and their understanding of the earth. understanding.
As expected, this is almost a complete elephant corpse . It has not rotted in the low temperature and anoxic permafrost layer .
The workers soon concluded that modern elephants generally live in Asia and Africa, and would never be brought to the icy Canadian permafrost, so this may be the mammoth that scientists call it.
It was suspected to be a mammoth
So they dug it out and quickly sent it to relevant experts.
htmlExperts randomly thawed the remains of a 340,000-year-old mammoth. At this time, they did not dare to confirm its identity until Canadian paleontologists conducted a comprehensive examination of it.
After thawing the remains, the skin and muscles have a certain degree of elasticity , and most of the body is well preserved. I have to say that the permafrost has done a pretty good job of preserving the corpse.
After a series of tests, the 31.4-meter-long elephant was indeed a mammoth, and it was a female cub that was only more than one month old.
The thawed baby elephant
About 42,000 years ago, due to some external factors, it was separated from its mother, and was eventually covered by heavy snow, and then frozen in the permafrost.
The pros and cons of discovering animal remains
In fact, every time ancient animal remains are discovered, it can be said to be a mixture of joy and sorrow for humans.
Ancient animal remains can enhance humankind's understanding of the earth.
On the one hand, we can use these remains to "travel" back tens of thousands of years to see what the earth looked like at that time.
Ancient animal remains
Just like this mammoth, through some materials on its body, such as undigested plant DNA, etc., paleontologists can completely establish an ecological environment at that time and feel the state of the earth at that time.
The most important thing is that mammoths have been living on the earth more than 35 million years ago, and it was not until thousands of years ago that they all became extinct.
So through the remains of these animals, paleontologists may also be able to find the real reasons for their extinction, and use this to take certain actions against the current environmental changes on the earth.
Mammoths
The danger posed by ancient animal remains may be greater
However, for all mankind, this may not be a good thing .
These animal remains that have been frozen in the permafrost for a long time are themselves the source of methane, and the most critical point is the viruses they may carry.
Not all animal remains can be discovered by people at the moment they reappear on the earth.
So from the moment they are exposed to the surface, they may start to release methane, and some germs will also start to escape from their bodies, causing harm to other living animals .
Virus
For example, in 2016, as the temperature warmed and the permafrost melted, the body of a reindeer carrying anthrax was exposed on the surface of Siberia . It died of the disease about 70 years ago. .
In the following period, the surrounding environment was severely damaged, and a large number of animals were infected with the virus. Eventually, more than 2,000 reindeer died of anthrax, and 96 people were even hospitalized.
Scientists have discovered through research that the anthrax virus will not die in the frozen soil. Even the longer it is frozen, the stronger its activity will be.
Reindeer
The melting of the permafrost heralds the beginning of disaster
In fact, the appearance of these animal remains has sounded the alarm to mankind.
The permafrost zone is generally located in high latitudes and high altitude areas. The permafrost in it can be divided into upper and lower layers, with a thickness ranging from tens of centimeters to tens of meters .
The temperature here is very low, but the water content is very high. After death, many animals and plants may be sealed underground for a long time, eventually becoming part of the permafrost layer.
The melting of permafrost will release a large amount of carbon dioxide and methane
The remains of these animals and plants contain a large amount of organic carbon.
Permafrost
Once they are exposed to the surface, they will inevitably increase the concentration of carbon dioxide and methane in the atmosphere, further causing global temperature warming, and ultimately causing the earth to fall into a vicious cycle.
Scientists estimate that the organic carbon stored in the global permafrost is approximately twice the amount of carbon contained in the atmosphere.
At present, the global frozen soil has exceeded 5.9 million square kilometers , most of which are located in the northern hemisphere.
Scientists from the University of Colorado simulated the melting of permafrost in the future.
Global permafrost distribution
The results show that in the next 200 years, the melting of the earth's permafrost will emit approximately 190 billion tons of carbon into the atmosphere, which is almost equivalent to the world's total carbon emissions in more than 500 years..
Some scientists believe that this time is likely to be advanced.
Because in the past 30 years, the average temperature in the Arctic Circle has risen by more than 3℃.
Therefore, it is speculated that by the end of this century, the temperature in the Arctic Circle will rise by another 10℃. By then, the Arctic glaciers may all melt, and all carbon dioxide and methane in the permafrost will be released.
Continuous warming causes glaciers to melt
The permafrost contains a large number of viruses
In addition, as we said earlier, many animal remains contain a large number of viruses.
And it is no exception in the permafrost, and it is very powerful.
In 2014, French scientists discovered a 130,000-year-old "giant virus" in Siberia, because it was almost 10 times larger than conventional viruses.
In the laboratory, when the viruses returned to normal temperature, they almost immediately resurrected and were extremely contagious.
virus
In addition, American and Chinese scientists have also discovered 28 viruses that are not available in modern times in glaciers. Once these viruses accidentally escape, they will inevitably set off an epidemic that is more terrifying than the new coronavirus.
It can be seen that behind the discovery of animal remains, there is a huge crisis that humans may face.
Human beings should be vigilant
In this regard, we must be more vigilant and do our best to slow down the rate of global temperature warming.
Compared with the carbon dioxide and methane released by melting permafrost, we need to pay more attention to the emissions of both from human activities .
Large amounts of greenhouse gases are emitted
In the face of such a vicious cycle, we must not stand idly by, because the earth is not only our home, but also the homeland of future generations.
Ancient methane experts said that it is not easy to release large amounts of methane quickly in ancient times, but for modern humans, it may release methane anytime and anywhere .
It is worth mentioning that the greenhouse effect caused by methane is 86 times stronger than carbon dioxide. Both are carbon-containing greenhouse gases , so reducing carbon emissions is crucial.
Methane structure
Today, we are already trying our best to use clean energy and reduce our dependence on fossil energy, and plan to achieve zero carbon emissions after 2050. In this process, each of us should make positive contributions. response.
Whether it is green travel, reducing food waste, or rejecting disposable items, they can all make a certain contribution to reducing carbon emissions. When these actions continue to accumulate, our earth will still have the opportunity to develop better.
