Thawing permafrost is known to be a substantial source of greenhouse gases to our atmosphere, yet scientists may still be underestimating this frozen giant. Permafrost soils store twice the amount of carbon than is currently in the atmosphere, but icy temperatures prevent microbes from converting carbon in the soil to greenhouse gasses. This creates a sort of carbon lockbox in the arctic. However, as climate change warms our planet, this once-frozen carbon threatens to escape to the atmosphere as the potent greenhouse gas, methane. A new study by Dr. Katey Walter Anthony and colleagues changes the paradigm of permafrost science and warns that current models underestimate the amount of methane that permafrost thaw in regions of Alaska and Siberia could release.
Continue reading “Permafrost Paradigm Shift Suggests More Methane Emissions to Come”Permafrost Paradigm Shift Suggests More Methane Emissions to Come
