Arctic Permafrost CO2 ‘Underestimated,’ Poses Threat
By Jeremy van Loon
(Corrects Fahrenheit conversion in second paragraph.)
July 1 (Bloomberg) -- Arctic permafrost, the frozen soil beneath polar snow and ice, contains twice as much carbon as previously estimated and may spark a further increase in temperatures should global warming continue.
A study by the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization, or CSIRO, showed a 10 percent reduction of permafrost through warming could add 80 parts per million more of atmospheric CO2, corresponding to a temperature gain of about 0.7 degrees Celsius (1.26 degrees Fahrenheit).
There is as much as 950 billion tons of carbon stored in Arctic organic matter, most of it long-dead vegetation, the United Nations Environment Programme says. The Arctic region already accounts for as much as a third of the world’s emissions of methane, a potent greenhouse gas blamed for global warming, of 150 million tons to 250 million tons annually.
Once permafrost begins to melt, the release of the greenhouse gas may trigger further warming, Pep Canadell, executive director of CSIRO’s Global Climate Project, said today in the report. CO2 in the atmosphere amounts to about 385 parts per million, up from about 280 parts per million a century ago.
“Heat generated from increased microbial activity could lead to sustained and long-term chronic emissions of carbon dioxide and methane,” Canadell of the Canberra, Australia-based group said.
To contact the reporter on this story: Jeremy van Loon in Berlin at jvanloon@bloomberg.net
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