An international team of researchers led by scientists from the University of Copenhagen has come to the conclusion that melting permafrost will release more carbon into the atmosphere than previously thought. This can lead to catastrophic climate change and irreversible heating of the planet, which will nullify any efforts to keep the rise in global temperatures below critical values. The article, published in the prestigious scientific journal Nature, is briefly reported in a press release on Phys.org.
It is known that microorganisms play a key role in the release of carbon dioxide during the thawing of permafrost. They decompose plant residues and other organic matter into methane, nitric oxide and carbon dioxide. However, it was previously thought that iron is able to bind carbon, preventing it from being released even when the permafrost melts. In the new work, the authors found that bacteria use iron in the process of life and destroy the bonds that hold carbon, which is released in the form of carbon dioxide.
Although the researchers only studied this process in the marsh zone of the Abisku National Park in northern Sweden, they compared their results with data from other regions of the northern hemisphere. Excessive carbon dioxide emissions are expected to occur in other permafrost regions around the world. Scientists say the new source of greenhouse gases needs to be included in climate models.
So far, experts are not sure how much additional carbon from the soil can be released using a recently discovered mechanism. Further research is needed to assess the threat of this process to a stable climate.