WIRED — More Lightning in the Arctic Is Bad News for the Planet

Lightning strikes in the far north could double by 2100. That means more wildfires, which could release massive amounts of planet-warming gas.
Wednesday, April 07, 2021

THE ARCTIC ISN’T doing so hot. That’s because it is, in fact, too hot. It’s warming at least twice as fast as the rest of the planet, which is setting off vicious feedback loops that accelerate change. Ice, for instance, is more reflective than soil, so when it melts, the region absorbs more solar energy. More dark vegetation is growing in northern lands, absorbing still more of the sun’s heat. And when permafrost thaws, it releases gobs of greenhouse gases, which further warm the climate.

The Department of Earth System Science acknowledges our presence on the ancestral and unceded territory of the Acjachemen and Tongva peoples, who still hold strong cultural, spiritual and physical ties to this region.