Climate change and the permafrost carbon feedback

Large quantities of organic carbon are stored in frozen soils (permafrost) within Arctic and sub-Arctic regions. A warming climate can induce environmental changes that accelerate the microbial breakdown of organic carbon and the release of the greenhouse gases carbon dioxide and methane. This feedb...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Nature
Other Authors: Schuur, E. (author), McGuire, A. (author), Schädel, C. (author), Grosse, G. (author), Harden, J. (author), Hayes, D. (author), Hugelius, G. (author), Koven, C. (author), Kuhry, P. (author), Lawrence, David (author), Natali, S. (author), Olefeldt, D. (author), Romanovsky, V. (author), Schaefer, K. (author), Turetsky, M. (author), Treat, C. (author), Vonk, E. (author)
Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
Language:English
Published: Nature Publishing Group 2015
Subjects:
Arctic
Climate change
permafrost
Online Access:http://nldr.library.ucar.edu/repository/collections/OSGC-000-000-021-634
https://doi.org/10.1038/nature14338
Description
Summary:Large quantities of organic carbon are stored in frozen soils (permafrost) within Arctic and sub-Arctic regions. A warming climate can induce environmental changes that accelerate the microbial breakdown of organic carbon and the release of the greenhouse gases carbon dioxide and methane. This feedback can accelerate climate change, but the magnitude and timing of greenhouse gas emission from these regions and their impact on climate change remain uncertain. Here we find that current evidence suggests a gradual and prolonged release of greenhouse gas emissions in a warming climate and present a research strategy with which to target poorly understood aspects of permafrost carbon dynamics.

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