Researchers from Sweden and the United States have assessed three main greenhouse gases in the Arctic region and found that the Arctic permafrost emits more carbon into the atmosphere than it absorbs, contributing to further warming of the Earth. Their findings were published in the latest issue of the journal "Global Biogeochemical Cycles."
Scientists have long been uncertain whether the permafrost regions have become net emitters of greenhouse gases. While thawing can release more carbon compounds from organic matter, increased vegetation could potentially absorb more carbon dioxide from the atmosphere.
In the latest study, a team from the Nordic Centre for Research found that permafrost regions have transitioned from being carbon sinks to carbon sources. Between 2000 and 2020, the region emitted 144 million tons of carbon annually. During the same period, methane was also emitted, along with 3 million tons of nitrogen per year, some of which was emitted in the form of nitrous oxide, a more potent greenhouse gas.
Previous studies have often relied on satellite data or machine learning techniques, but the team compiled ground emission observations from 200 sites and extrapolated them to areas with similar vegetation and humidity, leading to the aforementioned conclusion.
Researchers note that permafrost regions are a new source of atmospheric greenhouse gases, a factor not fully accounted for in existing global climate models.
