Panarctic lakes exerted a small positive feedback on early Holocene warming due to deglacial release of methane

• Published in: Communications Earth & Environment
• Main Authors: L. S. Brosius, K. M. Walter Anthony, C. C. Treat, M. C. Jones, M. Dyonisius, G. Grosse
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: Nature Portfolio 2023
• Subjects: Geology; QE1-996.5; Environmental sciences; GE1-350; Ice; ice core; permafrost; Thermokarst
• Online Access: https://doi.org/10.1038/s43247-023-00930-2; https://doaj.org/article/6f8853a733724e8e899209befeb4561f

Abstract Climate-driven permafrost thaw can release ancient carbon to the atmosphere, begetting further warming in a positive feedback loop. Polar ice core data and young radiocarbon ages of dissolved methane in thermokarst lakes have challenged the importance of this feedback, but field studies did not adequately account for older methane released from permafrost through bubbling. We synthesized panarctic isotope and emissions datasets to derive integrated ages of panarctic lake methane fluxes. Methane age in modern thermokarst lakes (3132 ± 731 years before present) reflects remobilization of ancient carbon. Thermokarst-lake methane emissions fit within the constraints imposed by polar ice core data. Younger, albeit ultimately larger sources of methane from glacial lakes, estimated here, lagged those from thermokarst lakes. Our results imply that panarctic lake methane release was a small positive feedback to climate warming, comprising up to 17% of total northern hemisphere sources during the deglacial period.