Thawing Arctic May Mean More Atmospheric Carbon

One of the world’s most important sinks of carbon could start to release its contents into the atmosphere. A new study by the USGS and the University of Alaska at Fairbanks shows that the Arctic has been responsible for up to 25 percent of the earth’s carbon sink in recent decades. The carbon enters the Arctic from the atmosphere and is trapped in the permafrost, the frozen layer of soil underneath the land’s surface. This layer is an effective carbon sink because the permafrost is too cold to for the carbon to decompose very quickly. However, global warming is causing the permafrost to thaw, exposing the previously frozen soil to decomposition and erosion, and could make the permafrost a source of atmospheric carbon, rather than a sink. For more information, check out the USGS Newsroom or contact Dave McGuire at ffadm@usgs.gov or (907) 474-6242.