Forest fires, as a consequence of global warming, are becoming larger and more dangerous. Recent years have shown all residents of Yakutia and the world how destructive they can be. Unfortunately, the situation can get even worse.
Because of the exposed areas of the earth, permafrost melts and falls under the active sunlight. As the Batagai crater shows, erosion can reach significant sizes. The crater increases by about 15 meters per year. Now the cleft goes a hundred meters deep, reaching more than a kilometer in length and 800 meters in width.
These processes may begin to threaten the infrastructure of cities and other settlements. Thousands of buildings and hundreds of thousands of people may be at risk, including Yakutsk, where the stability of buildings depends 100% on the stable state of permafrost under them.
In addition, the permafrost contains ancient biomass, the remains of ancient plants and animals. By volume, it exceeds the volume of the entire current biomass of the Earth. Coming to the surface, this biomass begins to rot, releasing greenhouse gases - CO2 and methane. The latter is especially dangerous for the planet. These gases, added to the millions of tons of greenhouse gases released during massive forest fires in Siberia, can accelerate the process of global warming. In this way, a mutually accelerating process can be created.
The author of the photo: Zhang A. A. Reconstruction of the Lena highway. Section of road excavation
If we feel the problems of global warming and forest fires very acutely today, then we will feel the problem of permafrost melting in the next 10-30 years. Therefore, we need to take actions now.
To organize the scientific study of problems, monitoring and forecasting, and the search for suitable new technologies, Sinet Spark is creating a new research center on forest fires and permafrost melting. Sinet Spark hopes to make a significant contribution in this area by interacting with other scientific organizations and authorities.
Currently, the search for the head of the center is underway, vacancies for employees will be opened later. More information about the vacancy of the head can be found at the link: https://rabota.ykt.ru/jobs/view?id=2712278
If you know a suitable candidate for the vacancies of a manager or employees, please inform us and send your resume to an email Job@ykt.ru (marked "Head/employee of the research center on forest fires and permafrost").