Norway Glacier Melting Releases Methane Gas: A Steady Feedback Loop

Norway Glacier Melting Releases Methane Gas: A Steady Feedback Loop 

Madison Kidd


As I am standing by the Hudson River in Hoboken’s Pier C Park with the rest of my class, waiting to meet a Oceanography professor from Stevens, Phil Orton, a bead of sweat rolls down my forehead. The 70 degree weather paired with low cloud coverage reminds me of a beautiful summer morning. Then I remember it’s October 22nd. No better scene to discuss the growing effects of climate change. 

Orton works heavily with computational models that depict the behavior of storm surges before they occur along the Hudson River. During his time at Stevens and as a PHD student at Columbia, he has seen the effects of climate change first hand, as it creates more severe storm surges. One point he makes stands out to me: “We have caused climate change and we are making sea levels rise. It is very hard to say we didn’t cause it.”[1]

It is widely known, as the planet’s average temperature increases, the ice deposits at both poles will melt over time, and cause sea levels to rise. What is far less known, is the scary reality that if temperatures rise too much, a steady feedback loop can occur and accelerate the damage from climate change. This feedback loop relates to the Arctic Ocean Shelves around the coasts of Alaska, Canada, Siberia, and more as stated by Orton. In an article published by the Washington Post, Mooney articulates this feedback loop occuring in the glaciers in Svalbard, Norway. He states that “In 122 out of 123 of [the glaciers], the water is filled with apparently ancient methane gas at very high concentrations.”[2] But why does the methane concentration alarm many scientists?

Methane, like Carbon Dioxide, is a known greenhouse gas, however it is much more impactful in the atmosphere. As explained by the UN Environment Programme, “Over a 20-year period, [Methane] is 80 times more potent at warming than carbon dioxide.”[3] With this in mind, when the permafrost formed in the last Ice Age begins to melt, the methane gas deposits will begin to escape to the atmosphere through bubbles. The layers of warming can be seen in the Figure below from NewScientist.com.


Figure 1 [4]

The feedback loop is as simple as (1) the glaciers begin to melt, (2) methane gas deposits enter the water through bubbles from under the permafrost layer, (3) methane gas enters the atmosphere, (4) methane concentrations rise in the atmosphere, (5) the average temperature increases due to the greenhouse gas effect, and (6) glaciers melt even quicker, thus releasing more methane gas as the cycle continues. With this cycle encroaching on becoming a true possibility within the next few decades, it is vital to put this scenario into perspective. In a study conducted in 2021 for Svalbard, Norway, the methane deposits only contributed to a little over 1% of Norway’s overall Methane emissions.[5] 

Although this puts some bleak perspectives at ease, the real concern this generates is if the methane deposits are a global phenomenon and not simply in the glaciers around Norway. With the possibility of a compounding effect from the feedback loop, if methane deposits are in more glaciers worldwide, the emissions could pose a true threat in the future.

It is a slow warming process at first, but as it continues, the feedback loop will cause an exponential effect. Due to the delayed effects of this process, it isn’t grabbing the attention of the public as it might need to in order to prevent this possibility. Orton describes climate change as a subject difficult for people to pay attention to because the issues from it will “arise so far out.”[6] If this is the mindset held by the majority of the general population and those that have the ability to change it, then it is already too late. This might be a morbid statement but climate change is a morbid topic that can not be ignored. We caused climate change. It is time we pay attention to it and face the problem. 



References: 

1 Interview with Professor Orton, 10/22/2024 

2 https://www.washingtonpost.com/climate-environment/2023/07/06/arctic-glacier-melt-methane-global-temperatures/  

3 https://www.unep.org/news-and-stories/story/methane-emissions-are-driving-climate-change-heres-how-reduce-them  

4 https://www.newscientist.com/article/mg22630221-300-methane-apocalypse-defusing-the-arctics-time-bomb/  

5 https://www.washingtonpost.com/climate-environment/2023/07/06/arctic-glacier-melt-methane-global-temperatures/ 

6 Interview with Professor Orton, 10/22/2024


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