Thawing Cryosphere & Dormant Threats.
🌍 The Problem Melting ice & permafrost (frozen ground) is releasing things that were locked away for thousands of years. Two big dangers: Ancient microbes (bacteria, viruses, fungi) that might come alive again. Example: In Siberia, anthrax came back from a thawed reindeer carcass. Scientists even revived 30,000-year-old viruses in labs. Toxic chemicals (like mercury, lead, pesticides, fuel) stored in frozen soil or old industrial sites. When the ground melts, these leak into rivers, lakes, and soil, harming health and wildlife. ⚠️ Why It’s a Problem Humans and animals may have no immunity to old microbes. Polluted water and soil can damage ecosystems and cause illness. Thawing also weakens buildings and storage tanks , making leaks worse. These areas are hard to monitor , so problems can spread before we notice. ✅ Solutions Fight climate change → reduce global warming to slow thawing. Research & monitoring → tra...