From: Seth Borenstein, Associated Press Published September 7,
2006 12:00 AM  Study Says Methane a New Climate Threat
WASHINGTON — Global warming gases trapped in the soil are
bubbling out of the thawing permafrost in amounts far higher
than previously thought and may trigger what researchers warn is
a climate time bomb.  Methane -- a greenhouse gas 23 times more
powerful than carbon dioxide -- is being released from the
permafrost at a rate five times faster than thought, according
to a study being published Thursday in the journal Nature. The
findings are based on new, more accurate measuring techniques.
"The effects can be huge," said lead author Katey Walter of the
University of Alaska at Fairbanks said. "It's coming out a lot
and there's a lot more to come out."  Scientists worry about a
global warming vicious cycle that was not part of their already
gloomy climate forecast: Warming already under way thaws
permafrost, soil that has been continuously frozen for thousands
of years. Thawed permafrost rele