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News Brief

Thawing Permafrost Could Double Earth's Atmospheric Carbon

by Erin Weaver

Climate change could cause melting permafrost to double Earth's atmospheric carbon. In this photo, a road has damaged the insulating top layer of permafrost, allowing the layers below to melt and sink.

Photo: NOAA Photo Library
By Erin WeaverThawing of Arctic permafrost could double Earth’s atmospheric carbon in the next century, according to a new field study in

Geophysical Research Letters. Scientists with the U.S. Geological Survey studied permafrost soils vulnerable to thawing and subsequent decomposition in a warming climate; they estimate the soils could release up to 850 billion tons of carbon and 44 billion tons of nitrogen, along with some methane.

In addition to disrupting aquatic ecosystems, this would contribute to further warming in what could become a runaway process. The scientists hope the new numbers will be taken into consideration by the upcoming Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change.

Published November 29, 2012

Weaver, E. (2012, November 29). Thawing Permafrost Could Double Earth's Atmospheric Carbon. Retrieved from https://www.buildinggreen.com/newsbrief/thawing-permafrost-could-double-earths-atmospheric-carbon

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Volume 21, Issue 12

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