The crack studied is located in the Negev Desert and is about 6.5 feet long and 3.3 feet deep. The scientists discovered that if air in the crack is only 7 degrees more than the surrounding area, the air would lift out of the crack. The air being expelled contains various gases, including water vapor.
This particular crack studied showed expelled water vapor levels to be 200 times greater than soil without cracks. Water vapor traps heat from the sun and is a very important part of global warming. The scientists only studied water vapor, but believe that carbon dioxide and nitrogen oxide levels are most likely elevated as well.
Dan Yakir, of the Weizman Institute, added that these cracks do not just occur in dry areas, like the Negev Desert. Cracks can form in wet regions as well and may potentially expel elevated levels of gases. But, it is clearly too soon to tell how much cracks in the earth actually contribute to global warming.
Yakir stated: “This has the potential to be important globally. The biosphere soaks up 30 percent of the carbon, and soil respiration is a very large part of that. If cracks remove CO2 from soils much faster than usual, it’s important. But this study is only a first step.”
