Tiny Microbes Have Been Sleeping Beneath the Arctic and Now it’s Waking Up

Microbes that had been dormant for thousands of years were found in frozen soil near Fairbanks, Alaska.

Researchers have “reawakened” tiny microbes, raising concerns about increased greenhouse gas emissions in a warming Arctic. These findings are detailed in a paper published on September 23 in the Journal of Geophysical Research: Biogeosciences.

“Despite being in suspended animation, these ecosystems can still support microbial and climatic life,” said a geobiologist from the California Institute of Technology. Permafrost is soil, sand, sediment, and rock that remains below freezing for at least two consecutive years.

Permafrost is mainly located in the Arctic and high-latitude regions, covering about 85 percent of Alaska. As the Arctic warms, scientists are concerned that thawing permafrost could reactivate ancient microbes, releasing greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide and methane.

These gases contribute to global warming, leading to more permafrost thaw and the release of greenhouse gas-emitting microbes, creating an unstoppable cycle. The new study sheds light on this process, including the revival and growth rates of dormant microbes.

“It’s a major unknown in climate responses,” says a geological scientist at the University of Colorado Boulder. “We must understand how thawing frozen ground, which holds a lot of stored carbon, affects regional ecology and climate change rates.”

Researchers explored the Permafrost Tunnel Research Facility, operated by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, located 50 feet underground in central Alaska. The 350-foot tunnel, excavated in the 1960s, contains ice wedges, preserved grasses, and remains of Pleistocene animals like bison and mammoths.

Scientists collected permafrost samples from its walls. Researchers hydrated samples with deuterium-enriched water and placed them in sealed chambers at 25, 39, or 54 degrees Fahrenheit to simulate warmer Alaskan summers. Initially, only one in 100,000 microbial cells became active each day.

After six months, the scientists observed significant changes in the samples. The microbes became highly active, producing visible slimy biofilms. Caro, speaking with Alaska Public Media, likened the researchers to traffic cops using radar to measure the microbes’ activity.

“We found that these organisms took one to six months to become active and start processing carbon, releasing carbon dioxide and methane,” who conducted the research at the University of Colorado Boulder. “This is an important finding.”

The researchers added deuterium to the samples, enabling them to measure the water the microbes used to build their fatty membranes. The paper suggests that glycolipids were vital for the microbes’ survival in dark, freezing conditions for thousands of years.

The temperature did not seem to affect the rate of awakening of microorganisms in experiments. This indicates that scientists should focus more on prolonged periods of higher temperatures, such as extended summers, rather than on brief Arctic heat waves.

“A single hot day in Alaska is less significant; it’s the extended summer into autumn and spring that matters,” said the researcher from the University of Colorado Boulder.

Matthew 24:37 But as the days of Noah were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.

Matthew 24:38 For as in the days that were before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noe entered into the ark,

Matthew 24:39 And knew not until the flood came, and took them all away; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.

Luke 17:26 And as it was in the days of Noah, so shall it be also in the days of the Son of man.

Luke 17:27 They did eat, they drank, they married wives, they were given in marriage, until the day that Noah entered into the ark, and the flood came, and destroyed them all.

Luke 17:28 Likewise also as it was in the days of Lot; they did eat, they drank, they bought, they sold, they planted, they builded;

Luke 17:29 But the same day that Lot went out of Sodom it rained fire and brimstone from heaven, and destroyed them all.

Luke 17:30 Even thus shall it be in the day when the Son of man is revealed.

Luke 21:11 And great earthquakes shall be in divers places, and famines, and diseases; and fearful sights and great signs shall there be from heaven.

Luke 21:25 And there shall be signs in the sun, and in the moon, and in the stars; and upon the earth distress of nations, with perplexity; the sea and the waves roaring;

Luke 21:28 And when these things begin to come to pass, then look up, and lift up your heads; for your redemption draweth nigh.

Luke 21:11 And great earthquakes shall be in divers places, and famines, and diseases; and fearful sights and great signs shall there be from heaven.

Luke 21:25 And there shall be signs in the sun, and in the moon, and in the stars; and upon the earth distress of nations, with perplexity; the sea and the waves roaring;

Luke 21:28 And when these things begin to come to pass, then look up, and lift up your heads; for your redemption draweth nigh.

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