Energy from glaciers
Some areas covered by the biome of the tundra contain huge oil fields. In 1997, for instance, 162 million tons of oil were extracted from the subsurface of Siberia. Western Siberia alone contains over one half of the oil reserves of all Russia.
Another important product supplied by the Russian tundra is methane. 220 billion cubic metres of gas are extracted every year, large part of which is channelled to Europe through methane pipelines measuring thousands of kilometres long. The methane that is used in Italy comes just from such ice-cold lands.
The frozen soil of the tundra could supply a new source of energy: methane hydrates. They are composed of water and methane molecules, mixed and frozen together. They are contained in ocean sediments and in the Arctic permafrost. Hydrates contain a high concentration of methane, which could be extracted by a sort of “defrosting”. This operation is still difficult to carry out, but is very interesting because a cubic metre of methane hydrate develops the same energy as by burning 135 kg of oil.
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7 January 2020
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Robotics: environmental monitoring and more
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8 July 2022
Who’s coming to dinner
A shark in my hamburger Summer is finally here! As usual, we have waited for it all year long and…
9 May 2022
Pollination, a perfect alliance between plants and animals
Firmly rooted in soil, over the course of their evolution plants have had to develop biological mechanisms for feeding and…
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20 October 2021
Chapada Diamantina: a treasure beyond gemstones
Discovering the Diamond Plateau, one of Brazil's most unique naturalistic jewels ...
30 July 2020
Holidays, yes! but they must be sustainable!
We have been speaking of sustainable behaviours to apply to our daily life, but what happens when we unplug and…
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23 June 2020
The Last Wild Valley. In defence of the Cime Bianche
The Vallone delle Cime Bianche or Courtaud Valley rises at the top of the Val d'Ayas, in Valle d'Aosta. It…
10 February 2020
Coral turns pale!
The coral reef is one of the ecosystems with the richest biodiversity...
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8 July 2022
Who’s coming to dinner
A shark in my hamburger Summer is finally here! As usual, we have waited for it all year long and…
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9 May 2022
Pollination, a perfect alliance between plants and animals
Firmly rooted in soil, over the course of their evolution plants have had to develop biological mechanisms for feeding and…
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20 October 2021
Chapada Diamantina: a treasure beyond gemstones
Discovering the Diamond Plateau, one of Brazil's most unique naturalistic jewels ...
From the Multimedia section
Facts
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17 May 2011
A meteorite explodes in the tundra
The Siberian tundra is also known for a spectacular...
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16 May 2011
The concentration of elements
In nature the quantity of elements is extremely important...
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17 May 2011
A meteorite explodes in the tundra
The Siberian tundra is also known for a spectacular...