Siberian permafrost and shallow lakes.

The Chicago Tribune ran a good article Monday about a Russian scientist who is studying the release of greenhouse gases, especially methane from the thawing permafrost underneath Siberian Lakes.

Methane, a greenhouse gas that is 20 times more potent than carbon dioxide, has been coming out from the ice like small geysers, according to Sergei Zimov, a long-time Russian scientist who has been doing much of the research in the cold, inhospitable region of northern Russia.

"Sometimes a big explosion happens, because the gas comes out like a bomb," Zimov said. "There are a million lakes like this in northern Siberia." The concern from Zimov and some U.S. scientists is that this thawing of the permafrost could accelerate global warming.

Sergei Zimov's outdoor lab is a large area of tundra and larch forest along the East Siberian Sea. Many of his collegues in Russia are not concerned about global warming, but Zimov's lonely work (28 years worth) has certainly drawn the attention from the U.S. as some of his work has been published in American Science Journals. Today, millions of dollars in grants from the West and from the Russian Science Foundation have turned Zimov's station into a hive of science. Zimov also has been receiving funding for his work through the Soros Foundation-Russia.

In Siberia, permafrost contains billions of tons of organic matter from the Ice Age. As the climate warms, permafrost on the banks of Siberian lakes collapses into the water, supplying bacteria with more organic material to consume and further raising the level of methane released into the air. This is a good example of positive feedback.

Zimov believes that the melting can be slowed, but not stopped. He has reintroduced certain grasses and herbivores which dominated northern Siberian steppes over 10,000 years ago. Zimov believes that steppe terrain inhibits permafrost thaw because it retains less heat than forests and lakes.