The largest frozen hole in the world is melting due to global warming

Weather of Arabia - Stunning footage from drones showed scenes of the Patagaika crater, a one-kilometer-long slit in the far east of Russia, which is the largest permafrost crater in the world.

The scenes showed two explorers climbing the uneven terrain at the bottom of the crater, showing an irregular surface and small hills, which began to form after the surrounding forest was cleared in the 1960s and the frozen soil underground began to thaw, causing the ground to sink.

"We locals call it (the cave)," Eriel Strochkoff told Reuters news agency - a local resident and explorer of the crater.

Scientists say that Russia is witnessing a rise in temperatures that exceeds at least 2.5 times the rates of high temperatures in the rest of the world, which leads to the thawing of the frozen soil for a long time, which covers about 65% of the land area in the country, and thus the release and liberation of greenhouse gases stored in thawed soil

Some locals in Russia's Sakha Republic call it the " gateway to the underworld ," but it also has a scientific name, "mega-slump," in reference to the massive size and catastrophic nature of this crater.

This large crater may attract tourists, but Nikita Tananaev, principal investigator at the Melnikov Permafrost Institute in Yakutsk, says the spread and expansion of this crater is a "red flag".

[1/5] A view of the Batagaika crater, as permafrost thaws causing a megaslump in the eroding landscape, in Russia's Sakha Republic in this still image from video taken July 11 or 12, 2023. Reuters TV via REUTERS

[1/5] A view of the Batagaika crater, as permafrost thaws causing a megaslump in the eroding landscape, in Russia's Sakha Republic in this still image from video taken July 11 or 12, 2023. Reuters TV via REUTERS

[1/5] A view of the Batagaika crater, as permafrost thaws causing a megaslump in the eroding landscape, in Russia's Sakha Republic in this still image from video taken July 11 or 12, 2023. Reuters TV via REUTERS

[1/5] A view of the Batagaika crater, as permafrost thaws causing a megaslump in the eroding landscape, in Russia's Sakha Republic in this still image from video taken July 11 or 12, 2023. Reuters TV via REUTERS

[1/5] A view of the Batagaika crater, as permafrost thaws causing a megaslump in the eroding landscape, in Russia's Sakha Republic in this still image from video taken July 11 or 12, 2023. Reuters TV via REUTERS

"In the future, with rising temperatures and increasing population pressure, we will witness more of these phenomena forming until the frozen crater completely disappears," Nikita Tananaev told Reuters news agency.

The melting of the "permafrost" crater threatens cities and towns in northern and northeastern Russia, curving roads, cracking homes, disrupting pipelines, and large-scale fires that have become widespread and more intense in recent seasons, exacerbating the problem.

The local population of Sakha noted the rapid growth of the crater. “(Two years ago the edge was) about 20-30 meters from this road. Now it seems much closer,” said Strochkov.

Scientists aren't sure of the exact rate of expansion of the Patagaica crater. But Tananaive says the soil below the avalanche, which reaches about 100 meters (328 feet) deep in some areas, contains an "enormous amount" of organic carbon, which will be released into the atmosphere as the permafrost thaws, further warming the planet. .

"As the air temperature increases, we can expect that (the crater) will expand at a higher rate," Tananayev said. And this will lead to an increase in global warming in the coming years increasingly."

Source: Reuters