NASA’s Goddard Institute for Space Studies and the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration analysts agree that the five warmest years on record have occurred since 2010. 2019 will almost certainly be added to this list. The bottom line is that virtually all qualified climate scientists think we have an extremely serious problem and little if any time left to do something about it.
The permafrost is continuing to thaw. Infected bodies are emerging. Methane and carbon dioxide are escaping. There is a climate crisis.
Copyright 2018 Gail McCormick
All rights reserved.
ISBN: 9781543991673
Acknowledgements:
I cannot thank enough my long-suffering friends and family listed below for their valuable help.
Diana Coleman
Ken Culbert
Ghanda DiFiglia
David Landskov
Braydon McCormick
Sabrina McCormick
Brucie Moulton
Lally Stowell
Jan Whitted
Iris Zink
References:
How to separate fact from fiction, or perhaps better said, fact from speculation? First off, the characters are all factious except for the 12 year old boy with a different name who died in Siberia and the teacher exposed to seal finger infection. It’s unlikely that the explosion in the prologue could have taken place with people standing nearby without loss of life or an actual fire unless someone lit a match. But this is a thriller, so I took license with that bit. There have been explosions, and there are massive holes, likely caused by methane. The Southern expressions are authentic but having lived in Southern states for over 30 years, I’d guess mostly used infrequently. They were included because they’re more colorful than our Northern speech. All you need to do to recognize the attacks on the media is to watch the nightly news.
I’ve done a search of articles dealing with the stories about the anthrax outbreak and the science included throughout the book. References to some of this information follow.
Thawing permafrost:
https://blogs.ei.columbia.edu/2018/01/11/thawing-permafrost-matters/
https://news.nationalgeographic.com/2018/02/melting-arctic-permafrost-toxic-mercury-environment/
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2018/08/180816143035.htm
https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2017-10/gsoa-gat102117.php
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2017/dec/12/arctic-permafrost-sea-ice-thaw-climate-change-report
https://blogs.ei.columbia.edu/2018/01/11/thawing-permafrost-matters/
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2006/09/060907102808.htm
http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/imageo/2018/03/08/permafrost-in-coldest-arctic-areas-will-melt-faster-than-thought/#.W1eEztVKga8
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2018/03/180326160953.htm
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/energy-environment/wp/2018/03/19/the-arctics-carbon-bomb-might-be-even-more-potent-than-we-thought/?utm_term=.78a15fc1e340
http://neven1.typepad.com/blog/2011/12/arctic-methane-russian-researchers-report.html
http://neven1.typepad.com/blog/2011/12/arctic-methane-russian-researchers-report.html
http://discovermagazine.com/2018/jun/something-stirs
https://www.businessinsider.com/russian-exploding-permafrost-methane-craters-global-warming-2016-6
s://www.theguardian.com/environment/2017/jul/20/hell-breaks-loose-tundra-thaws-weatherwatch
https://www.thearcticinstitute.org/how-methane-affects-the-arctic-infographic/
https://www.theatlantic.com/science/archive/2017/06/methane-burps/528654/
https://www.space.com/41533-abrupt-permafrost-melting-carbon-climate-impact.html
https://www.nationalgeographic.com/environment/2018/08/news-arctic-permafrost-may-thaw-faster-than-expected/
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2018/07/180716151529.htm
https://www.alaskapublic.org/2018/09/18/for-methane-researcher-golf-course-bubbles-are-a-first/
https://www.su.se/geo/english/about-us/news/3-papers-in-nature-journals-with-patric-crill-as-one-of-the-co-authors-1.394197?cache=%2Fbritt-jakobson
https://www.sciencealert.com/photos-reveal-more-than-200-bright-blue-arctic-lakes-have-started-bubbling-with-methane-gas
Disease from thawing permafrost:
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/aug/01/anthrax-outbreak-climate-change-arctic-circle-russia
https://siberiantimes.com/other/others/news/n0693-eight-people-have-contracted-anthrax-amid-reports-that-one-has-died/
https://www.wired.com/2016/08/child-dead-climate-change-thawed-anthrax-infected-reindeer/
https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/zombie-anthrax-goes-on-a-killing-spree-in-siberia-how/
http://www.bbc.com/earth/story/20170504-there-are-diseases-hidden-in-ice-and-they-are-waking-up
https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.3402/gha.v4i0.8482
https://www.npr.org/sections/goatsandsoda/2018/01/24/575974220/are-there-zombie-viruses-in-the-thawing-permafrost
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3741091/Could-SMALLPOX-return-grave-Deadly-disease-risk-permafrost-thaws-near-Russian-village-victims-buried-warn-scientists.html
https://www.ibtimes.com/frozen-roundworms-brought-back-life-42000-years-later-2703323?amp=1
https://www.newsweek.com/siberia-worms-frozen-over-30000-years-ago-show-signs-life-1045581
https://patient.info/health/roundworms-leaflet
https://weather.com/science/nature/news/poison-ivy-oak-stronger-climate-change
Destruction of buildings, etc. caused by thawing permafrost:
http://fm.kuac.org/post/study-predicts-widespread-damage-russian-arctic-infrastructure-thawing-permafrost
https://www.theguardian.com/cities/2016/oct/14/thawing-permafrost-destroying-arctic-cities-norilsk-russia
https://www.citylab.com/environment/2018/05/the-race-to-save-arctic-cities-as-permafrost-melts/559307/
http://www.iflscience.com/environment/siberian-permafrost-cities-in-danger-of-collapse-in-next-35/
heat records:
https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/2017-was-the-third-hottest-year-on-record-for-the-u-s/
https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2018/jul/24/why-is-europe-going-through-a-heatwave
Miscellaneous:
https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2018/aug/20/food-waste-alarming-rise-will-see-66-tonnes-thrown-away-every-second
https://phys.org/news/2018-08-california-climate-science-tools-impacts.html
https://www.space.com/41533-abrupt-permafrost-melting-carbon-climate-impact.html
https://www.washingtonpost.com/graphics/2018/national/arctic-lakes-are-bubbling-and-hissing-with-dangerous-greenhouse-gases/?utm_term=.e0fa3418fd5e
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2018/09/180927122939.htm
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2018/09/180919115853.htm
https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-46637102
https://www.forbes.com/sites/davidebanis/2018/12/28/10-worst-climate-driven-disasters-of-2018-cost-us-85-billion/#4e977a322680
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2019/01/190103110300.htm
https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/us-fracking-boom_us_5c3e7065e4b0e0baf5422c43
https://www.nationalgeographic.com/environment/2018/08/news- arctic-permafrost-may-thaw-faster-than-expected/
https://weather.com/science/nature/video/feeding-cows-pink-algae-may-help-fight-warming-climate
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2019/04/190415090848.htm
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2019/02/190204142310.htm
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2019/07/190724131624.htm
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2019/08/190815130854.htm
https://www.ipcc.ch/site/assets/uploads/2018/02/WG1AR5_Chapter12_FINAL.pdf
https://www.nationalgeographic.com/environment/2019/08/arctic-permafrost-is-thawing-it-coul
d-speed-up-climate-change-feature/
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