What does methane and carbon dioxide from Antarctic ice tell us about climate change?

Ice samples from Antarctica are a unique record of the past of our planet. These ice archives store air bubbles that allow us to analyze the composition of the atmosphere over hundreds of thousands of years. Research in recent years points to significant changes in greenhouse gases, especially greenhouse (CO₂) and methane (CH₄) concentrations, which are related to land-based fluctuations.

What do the new findings say?

According to a recent analysis of the concentration of CO₂ and CH₄ trapped in the Antarctic ice, we must assess that the level of these gases always rises during the warming between ice ages. However, this rise was gradual and naturally conditioned by changes in solar radiation and other geophysical changes. In contrast to the current rate of CO₂ growth is unprecedented and primary human activity such as burning fossil fuels and deforestation.

Studies so far that:

1. CO₂ concentrations they reached about 280 ppm (parts per million) before the industrial revolution, while today they exceed 420 ppm.
2. Methane , a greenhouse gas, has ranged from 35–700 ppb (particle level) during the past hundreds of thousands of years, but current values exceed 1800 ppb.

Historical and current trends

Evidence from ice cores shows that when CO₂ rose in the past, Earth's temperature rose, triggering positive feedbacks such as melting permafrost and releasing methane. However, the current increase in CO₂ and methane is taking place over a much shorter period of time, which increases the risk of disruption of the climate system.

Scientists fear that the rapid increase in greenhouse gases may activate the so-called a rupture of a climatic body, such as the destabilization of the Antarctic ice sheet or the massive release of methane from the seabed and permafrost.

What are the implications for the future?

Antarctic ice research highlights that the atmosphere is very sensitive to changes in greenhouse gases. Current emissions can cause warming of more than 2°C compared to the pre-industrial era, the limit set by the Paris Climate Agreement.

• Sea level rise : Melting ice can increase sea level rise by several meters.
• Worsening extreme weather : An increase in temperature is most often caused by heat waves, strong storms and periods of drought.

What can we do?

To say the worst case scenario, scientists appeal to:

• Reduction of CO₂ emissions : Renewable energy sources, such as solar and wind energy, must eliminate fossil fuels.
• Methane monitoring : Better monitoring of methane leaks from landfills, the oil industry and melting permafrost is needed.

Conclusion

Data from glaciers provide us with a warning: natural fluctuations in greenhouse gases have always affected the Earth's climate, but the speed and scale of current changes are completely unprecedented. If we do not act now, we will face dramatic challenges on a global scale. Spring

More details about these researches can be found on the pages published in the journal Nature Geoscience.