Father and Son Aim to Stop Ice Melt in One of Earth’s Coldest Places

Father and Son Aim to Stop Ice Melt in One of Earth’s Coldest Places

Scientist Sergey Zimov has long studied the frozen ground, or permafrost, in one of Earth's coldest places, about 130 kilometers south of Russia's Arctic coast. It has been melting fast as planet temperatures increase.

Now Zimov is warning about the thawing² of all the materials that permafrost has kept trapped since prehistoric³ times. He says those materials will release huge amounts of harmful greenhouse gasses. These are the heat trapping gasses blamed for the warming planet.

The 66-year-old has studied permafrost from his scientific base in the Yakutia area for many years. Recently, he was able to easily drive a thin metal pole meters deep into the Siberian ground. The area has seen temperatures rise more than three times the world average.

"This is one of the coldest places on earth and there is no permafrost," Zimov told Reuters news agency. "Methane⁴ has never increased in the atmosphere at the speed it is today...I think this is linked to our permafrost."

Permafrost covers 65 percent of Russia's landmass and about a quarter of the northern landmass. Scientists say gas releases, or emissions⁶, from its thaw¹ could one day equal or even overtake the amount of industrial emissions produced by the European Union.

Emissions from permafrost, however, are seen as natural, and therefore not included in international agreements aimed at limiting such pollution.

Zimov examines data from a U.S.-run worldwide network of climate recording⁷ stations. He says the information shows that permafrost thaw is already releasing greenhouse gases.

During the COVID-19 crisis, the amount of methane and carbon dioxide (CO2) in the atmosphere was increasing at a faster rate than before. Yet, industrial production and transportation activity worldwide dropped substantially during the same period.

Scientists say whole cities sit on permafrost and its thawing could cost Russia $100 billion in damage by 2050 if the warming rate continues.

Zimov wants to slow the thaw in one area of Yakutia by populating a protected area called Pleistocene Park with large plant-eating animals including bison, horses and camels. Such animals pack down the snow, making it more dense⁸ and less able to absorb heat.

Zimov and his son Nikita began to bring animals to Pleistocene Park in 1996. So far, about 200 kinds are deployed⁹ in the area. The scientists say the permafrost at the park is colder than that in other areas.

Zimov would also like to include mammoths in his natural method for engineering a cooler environment. The elephant ancestors disappeared from Earth thousands of years ago, but scientists have expressed hope for their recreation through genetic¹⁰ methods. Including the animals would help recreate the ecological¹¹ system of the last Ice Age, which ended almost 12,000 years ago.

Zimov and his son were co-writers of a study published in Nature's Scientific Reports last year. The study showed that the animals in Pleistocene Park had reduced the average snow depth by half. In addition, the average yearly soil temperature fell by 1.9 degrees Celsius¹², with an even bigger drop during winter and spring.

Researchers say more work is needed to confirm whether such untraditional methods might be an effective way to fight the effects of climate change on permafrost. However, models described in the study suggest adding large animals into the Arctic environment could stop the thaw of as much as 37 percent of permafrost.

Words in This Story

thaw – v. to go from a frozen to a liquid state

emission⁵ – n. the act of producing or sending out something (such as energy or gas) from a source

greenhouse gas – n. heat-trapping gases that warm the Earth's atmosphere

decay – v. to become weak or destroyed over time, often because of natural causes like bacteria or age

ecosystem¹³ – n. everything that exists in a particular environment

1 thaw   

v.（使）融化，（使）变得友善；n.融化，缓和

参考例句：

• The snow is beginning to thaw.雪已开始融化。
• The spring thaw caused heavy flooding.春天解冻引起了洪水泛滥。

2 thawing   

n.熔化，融化v.（气候）解冻( thaw的现在分词 )；（态度、感情等）缓和；（冰、雪及冷冻食物）溶化；软化

参考例句：

• The ice is thawing. 冰在融化。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
• It had been snowing and thawing and the streets were sloppy. 天一直在下雪，雪又一直在融化，街上泥泞不堪。 来自英汉文学 - 嘉莉妹妹

3 prehistoric   

adj.（有记载的）历史以前的，史前的，古老的

参考例句：

• They have found prehistoric remains.他们发现了史前遗迹。
• It was rather like an exhibition of prehistoric electronic equipment.这儿倒像是在展览古老的电子设备。

4 methane   

n.甲烷，沼气

参考例句：

• The blast was caused by pockets of methane gas that ignited.爆炸是由数袋甲烷气体着火引起的。
• Methane may have extraterrestrial significance.甲烷具有星际意义。

5 emission   

n.发出物，散发物；发出，散发

参考例句：

• Rigorous measures will be taken to reduce the total pollutant emission.采取严格有力措施，降低污染物排放总量。
• Finally,the way to effectively control particulate emission is pointed out.最后，指出有效降低颗粒排放的方向。

6 emissions   

排放物( emission的名词复数 )； 散发物（尤指气体）

参考例句：

• Most scientists accept that climate change is linked to carbon emissions. 大多数科学家都相信气候变化与排放的含碳气体有关。
• Dangerous emissions radiate from plutonium. 危险的辐射物从钚放散出来。

7 recording   

n.录音，记录

参考例句：

• How long will the recording of the song take?录下这首歌得花多少时间？
• I want to play you a recording of the rehearsal.我想给你放一下彩排的录像。

8 dense   

a.密集的，稠密的，浓密的；密度大的

参考例句：

• The general ambushed his troops in the dense woods. 将军把部队埋伏在浓密的树林里。
• The path was completely covered by the dense foliage. 小路被树叶厚厚地盖了一层。

9 deployed   

（尤指军事行动）使展开( deploy的过去式和过去分词 )； 施展； 部署； 有效地利用

参考例句：

• Tanks have been deployed all along the front line. 沿整个前线已部署了坦克。
• The artillery was deployed to bear on the fort. 火炮是对着那个碉堡部署的。

10 genetic   

adj.遗传的，遗传学的

参考例句：

• It's very difficult to treat genetic diseases.遗传性疾病治疗起来很困难。
• Each daughter cell can receive a full complement of the genetic information.每个子细胞可以收到遗传信息的一个完全补偿物。

11 ecological   

adj.生态的，生态学的

参考例句：

• The region has been declared an ecological disaster zone.这个地区已经宣布为生态灾难区。
• Each animal has its ecological niche.每种动物都有自己的生态位.

12 Celsius   

adj.摄氏温度计的，摄氏的

参考例句：

• The temperature tonight will fall to seven degrees Celsius.今晚气温将下降到七摄氏度。
• The maximum temperature in July may be 36 degrees Celsius.七月份最高温度可能达到36摄氏度。

13 ecosystem   

n.生态系统

参考例句：

• This destroyed the ecosystem of the island.这样破坏了岛上的生态系统。
• We all have an interest in maintaining the integrity of the ecosystem.维持生态系统的完整是我们共同的利益。