Russian Bogs Hold More Methane Than Expected
From Times Staff and Wire Reports
Vast peat bogs in the Russian Arctic hold substantially more methane than researchers had previously thought, and may play a major role in global warming, a team headed by UCLA geographer Laurence C. Smith reported in the Jan. 16 issue of Science.
The peat bogs account for as much as 26% of global carbon stores accumulated since the last Ice Age, the researchers said.
If the methane in the Russian bogs was released steadily over the next five centuries in response to global warming, it would increase world greenhouse gas levels by 4% annually.
