Burning Ice in Alaska?

I found this video segment from ABC News. A reporter begins the segment on the edge of the Bering Sea, which is located off the west coast of Alaska. The reporter then travels outside of Nome, Alaska and on to the frozen tundra, where he interviews one of the locals. According to the local man, the area experienced a stormier winter compared to normal.

According to the video, Alaska used to be a warm, tropical location millions of years ago, during periods of high atmospheric greenhouse gas concentration. Actually, much higher than what it is today.

The story then focuses on the potential carbon time bomb in Alaska, and that is the natural stores of CO2 and methane gas that were trapped millions of years ago in the permafrost. The permafrost is starting to melt and some scientists are worried that man's continued contribution of greenhouse gases to the atmosphere could cause the release of massive amounts of this CO2 and methane back into the atmosphere, leading to an abrupt and irreversible warming of the planet.

Oh yea, what about that burning ice? Just check out the video, and you will see what I mean.

You can watch the short video segment right here.