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Carbon, trapped in frozen earth for tens of thousands of years

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is seeping out of thawing permafrostthat lies beneath Arctic lakesis seeping out of thawing permafrostthat lies beneath Arctic lakes

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It bubbles up as methane, a greenhouse gas much more potent than CO2.

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In the fall, when lakes freeze and bubbles build up in pockets under the ice,

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University of Alaska Fairbanks scientists measure these seeps, one lake at a time.

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And occasionally demonstrate methane’s flammability …

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Scientists: Whoa!

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But there are many, many lakes.And in the wilds of Alaska,they can only visit so many on foot.

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NASA’s ABoVE campaign combines their precise measurements from individual lakes

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with data from satellites which can observe the whole Arctic,

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so that we can estimate just how much methane these seeps will add to our atmosphere.

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