Frozen Soils Could Become Major Source of Greenhouse Gas Emissions - Printable Version +- Scivillage.com Casual Discussion Science Forum (https://www.scivillage.com) +-- Forum: Science (https://www.scivillage.com/forum-61.html) +--- Forum: Meteorology & Climatology (https://www.scivillage.com/forum-72.html) +--- Thread: Frozen Soils Could Become Major Source of Greenhouse Gas Emissions (/thread-732.html)

Frozen Soils Could Become Major Source of Greenhouse Gas Emissions - C C - Apr 9, 2015 http://www.sci-news.com/othersciences/climatology/science-frozen-soils-greenhouse-gas-emissions-02680.html EXCERPT: [...] An estimated 1,330 – 1,580 billion tons of organic carbon are stored in permafrost soils of Arctic and subarctic regions with the potential for even higher quantities stored deep in the frozen soil. Thawing and bacterial decomposition cause the release of carbon dioxide and methane greenhouse gases into the atmosphere. “Our big question is how much, how fast and in what form will this carbon come out,” said Prof Ted Schuur of Northern Arizona University, who is the first author on the Nature paper. [...] “Human activities might start something in motion by releasing carbon gases but natural systems, even in remote places like the Arctic, may add to this problem of climate change,” Prof Schuur said....