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In
the video two explorers clamber across uneven terrain at the
base of the depression, marked by irregular surfaces and small
hummocks, which began to form after the surrounding forest was
cleared in the 1960s and the permafrost underground began to
melt, causing the land to sink.
"We locals call it 'the cave-in,'" local resident and crater
explorer Erel Struchkov told Reuters as he stood on the crater's
rim. "It developed in the 1970s, first as a ravine. Then by
thawing in the heat of sunny days, it started to expand."
Scientists say Russia is warming at least 2.5 times faster than
the rest of the world, melting the long-frozen tundra that
covers about 65% of the country's landmass and releasing
greenhouse gases stored in the thawed soil.
The "gateway to the underworld," as some locals in Russia's
Sakha Republic also call it, has a scientific name: a
mega-slump.
And while it may attract tourists, the slump's expansion is "a
sign of danger," said Nikita Tananayev, lead researcher at the
Melnikov Permafrost Institute in Yakutsk.
"In future, with increasing temperatures and with higher
anthropogenic pressure, we will see more and more of those
mega-slumps forming, until all the permafrost is gone,"
Tananayev told Reuters.
Thawing permafrost has already threatened cities and towns
across northern and northeastern Russia, buckling roadways,
splitting apart houses, and disrupting pipelines. Vast
wildfires, which have become more intense in recent seasons,
exacerbate the problem.
Locals in Sakha have taken note of the crater's rapid growth.
"(Two years ago the edge) was about 20-30 meters away from this
path. And now, apparently, it is much closer," Struchkov said.
Scientists aren't sure of the exact rate at which the Batagaika
crater is expanding. But Tananayev says the soil beneath the
slump, which is about 100 meters deep (328 feet) in some areas,
contains an "enormous quantity" of organic carbon that will
release into the atmosphere as the permafrost thaws, further
fuelling the planet's warming.
"With an increasing air temperature we can expect (the crater)
will be expanding at a higher rate," he said. "This will lead to
more and more climate warming in the following years."
(Reporting by Reuters; Writing by Lucy Papachristou; Editing by
Andrew Osborn and David Holmes)
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