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Arctic ground squirrels unlock permafrost carbon
BBC ^ | 17 December 2014 | Rebecca Morelle

Posted on 12/17/2014 12:22:02 AM PST by moose07

Arctic ground squirrels could play a greater role in climate change than was previously thought.

Scientists have found that the animals are hastening the release of greenhouse gases from the permafrost - a vast, frozen store of carbon.

The researchers say it suggests the impact of wildlife on this area has been underplayed.

The findings are being presented at the American Geophysical Union Fall Meeting in San Francisco.

Dr Sue Natali, from Woods Hole Research Center in Massachusetts, US, said: "We know wildlife impacts vegetation, and we know vegetation impacts thaw and soil carbon.

"It certainly has a bigger impact than we've considered and it's something we will be considering more and more going into the future."

The Arctic permafrost, where deep layers of soil remain frozen all year round, covers nearly a quarter of the Northern Hemisphere and contains a great deal of carbon.

(Excerpt) Read more at bbc.co.uk ...


TOPICS: Cheese, Moose, Sister; Chit/Chat; Weather; Weird Stuff
KEYWORDS: suenatali
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To: Norm Lenhart
Tonight we're gonna party like it's 1699.


41 posted on 12/17/2014 4:42:27 AM PST by Salamander (The only things that last forever, are memories and sorrow.)
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To: TigersEye

Won’t take them long. Machines can’t convince themselves squirrels are a major threat to atmospheric processes. Freaking SQUIRRELS couldn’t convince THEMSELVES of that, much less tell other squirrels. They’d be too ashamed at their stupidity and besides, they are far too stable and unshakable a species.

The machines would go Vger first rather than accept such insanity.

Liberals should strive to achieve the calmness and clarity of thought of the humble squirrel. They do however, have a long way to go but if humanity doesn’t dream big, we fail anyway.


42 posted on 12/17/2014 4:43:18 AM PST by Norm Lenhart
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To: Salamander

Oh that’s a given. And soon. I’m gonna be laughing my tail off at the Iphone/facebook addicts begging the Amish types/bitter clingers they mocked as backward rubes for survival lessons. Then failing because they won’t work that hard even if starvation and dying of exposure is the alternative.

Thats actually one of the examples of the natural order reasserting itself come to think of it. The mass suicides of the stupids will have a rather balancing effect on the global IQ. Balancing as in bringing it back UP to where it needs to be.


43 posted on 12/17/2014 4:51:47 AM PST by Norm Lenhart
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To: moose07
Arctic Ground Squirrels are cool.

During Hibernation, which is most of their life, their body temperature lowers to below freezing.

Arctic Ground Squirrel (Spermophilus parryii) http://www.adfg.alaska.gov/index.cfm?adfg=arcticgroundsquirrel.printerfriendly

Hibernation

As an adaptation for coping with the harsh, inclement weather of the winter months, arctic ground squirrels hibernate for about eight months out of the year. Their chosen hibernacula have coverage provided by vegetation, rather than open, windswept burrows. This vegetation coverage allows for a higher accumulation of snow and warmer soil temperatures.

Females enter hibernation first, beginning in August, and are followed by males throughout the following month. During winter hibernation, arctic ground squirrels enter into a state of torpor in which their metabolic rate and body temperatures are drastically lowered for up to three weeks at a time. Their body temperature drops from about 99 degrees F (37 degrees C) to as cold as 27 degrees F (-3 degrees C), below freezing. Between these states of torpor they arouse and will either shiver or use their stored fat to bring their body temperatures back to a euthermic, or comfortable state of about 34–36 degrees Celsius. This rewarming period usually lasts one to two days and then they return to their state of torpor in order to conserve energy.

Males will emerge from hibernation earlier than females in order to reach sexual maturation before breeding season, since this kind of development is not possible in the extremely cold temperatures of winter months. They will have generally lost almost a third of their body mass by this point, and will begin to consume their food cache. Females emerge around two to three weeks later, experiencing a greater loss in body fat than males, having lost over one third of their body weight.

44 posted on 12/17/2014 4:52:17 AM PST by thackney (life is fragile, handle with prayer.)
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To: Raycpa
Turns out you made the correct decision.
I find the strange way they look down on you from their perch up in the trees to be most disconcerting, like they know something you don't.
45 posted on 12/17/2014 4:52:40 AM PST by moose07 ( Santa's a Scotsman! Too many Pies ,not enough exercise ,of course he's one of us!)
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To: thackney

Arctic Ground Squirrels are cool....really cool...for eight months of the year.
Tough little chaps!


46 posted on 12/17/2014 4:55:48 AM PST by moose07 ( Santa's a Scotsman! Too many Pies ,not enough exercise ,of course he's one of us!)
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To: moose07

When we lived in Alaska, I had imagined a young boy bringing home a “dead” squirrel, only to have it thaw out inside the home, greatly P.O.’d.


47 posted on 12/17/2014 4:57:21 AM PST by thackney (life is fragile, handle with prayer.)
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To: Norm Lenhart

My ex was agriculturally impaired.

In fact, I had to do all the “scary survival” stuff, such as removing snakes and spiders to the outer reaches of his ‘comfort zone’.

He now describes himself as an “apolitical pacifist”.

Apparently, I was the only balls he ever had.

Last time I’ll ever hook up with someone who can’t even build a damn fire as quick as I can.


48 posted on 12/17/2014 4:59:28 AM PST by Salamander (The only things that last forever, are memories and sorrow.)
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To: Salamander

People here, who mostly DO know how to do even the most basic things like build a fire will live as gods by comparison to those that can’t. And I mean that literally. Gods.

They will have the power of life and death over vast swaths of surviving humanity that can’t build anything, farm anything, hint anything, fish anything, fix anything, sew anything that does not involve URLs. These people cannot and will not survive on their own.

If we are smart, we will leave them to their devices in the world they created and keep them out of our enclaves. Because once we get things back on track, their liberalism will come screaming back out to screw things up again.


49 posted on 12/17/2014 5:07:17 AM PST by Norm Lenhart
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To: Norm Lenhart
People here, who mostly DO know how to do even the most basic things like build a fire will live as gods by comparison to those that can’t.

Now compare those who can build a fire, to those who know how to make the electricity keep running from a hydro plant or gas turbine. A group armed to protect with a few capable of keeping the lights on.

50 posted on 12/17/2014 5:18:50 AM PST by thackney (life is fragile, handle with prayer.)
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To: Norm Lenhart

I promise to be a benevolent deity.

Mostly.


51 posted on 12/17/2014 5:21:53 AM PST by Salamander (The only things that last forever, are memories and sorrow.)
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To: moose07

:)


52 posted on 12/17/2014 5:23:21 AM PST by Bigg Red (Congress, do your duty and repo his pen and his phone.)
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To: moose07

Apparently, as long has he has been a 13-year-old boy.


53 posted on 12/17/2014 5:25:13 AM PST by Bigg Red (Congress, do your duty and repo his pen and his phone.)
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To: moose07

The ones that run out in front of your car attempting to cause an accident are the worst.


54 posted on 12/17/2014 5:27:32 AM PST by Raycpa
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To: Raycpa

Indecisive attitudes in squirrels pay their own penalty.

Rewards for indecision in the roadway are reaped by the vultures.


55 posted on 12/17/2014 5:29:36 AM PST by thackney (life is fragile, handle with prayer.)
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To: thackney

Right but ultimately thats the same people. those of us that can work with out hands and know how to fix things are those who keep the lights on. Perhaps we arent all electricians, but we are all the other things that go along with power generation. Even if it’s the guy with the gun standing guard because THAT ability is also beyond the suddenly feral.

And it’s us collectively that will decides who benefits from that. And who doesn’t.


56 posted on 12/17/2014 5:39:10 AM PST by Norm Lenhart
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To: Salamander

Depends which people the benevolence benefits ;)


57 posted on 12/17/2014 5:41:02 AM PST by Norm Lenhart
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To: Bigg Red

*cough* :)


58 posted on 12/17/2014 5:57:33 AM PST by moose07 ( Santa's a Scotsman! Too many Pies ,not enough exercise ,of course he's one of us!)
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To: Raycpa

The rodent taliban.


59 posted on 12/17/2014 6:04:36 AM PST by moose07 ( Santa's a Scotsman! Too many Pies ,not enough exercise ,of course he's one of us!)
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To: moose07

We should ferret them out before its too late.


60 posted on 12/17/2014 6:28:44 AM PST by Raycpa
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