[aruanan]

According to Igor Semiletov of the Russian Academy of Sciences, methane gas is 20 times more harmful than carbon dioxide. Semiletov has studied these methane plumes for years but most of that time they were only about 30 meters in diameter. Semiletov said, "We carried out checks at about 115 stationary points and discovered methane fields of a fantastic scale — I think on a scale not seen before."

Earth to Igor. Earth to Igor. Methane will oxidize to CO2 which will feed plants and increase the yields of crops around the world. We could propose that at what, for all indications, is the end of this current interglacial period, we are witnessing something that may herald the end of the current ice age before a period of truly clement weather around the world. Of course, this could be something that triggers the next glaciation and we're in for another 100,000 years or so of ice, snow, and horrible storms.

[gleeaikin]

Here are several related links a friend sent me. I am sending him this post.

Letter in nature
http://www.indiaenvironmentportal.org.in/files/file/wildfires.pdf
http://www.wildfirepire.org/sites/default/files/hu_2010_tundra_burning_in_alaska_linkages_to_climatic_change_and_sea_ice_retreat.pdf

http://www.lter.uaf.edu/dev2009/pdf/1350_Tarnocai_Canadell_2009.pdf

NY Times article:
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/12/17/science/earth/warming-arctic-permafrost-fuels-climate-change-worries.html?pagewanted=1&ref=general&src=me

I have not read these yet, but was told the Alaska fires were very severe. Also, last year I saw something about a Russian scientist who was very concerned that large quantities of methane were being released from the Lena River delta emptying into the Arctic Ocean. There are those who believe that a giant methane burp caused a major extinction event about 55 million years ago.