 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
| . |  |
. |
Permafrost Carbon Content Double The Old Estimates
Canberra, Australia (SPX) Sep 16, 2008 In a paper published in the latest edition of Bioscience, an international team of scientists says whereas some of the CO2 produced as a result of decomposition of previously frozen vegetation would be absorbed by increased, global warming-induced plant growth, it is likely the net effect would be a significant net increase in atmospheric CO2. Involving collaboration between scientists from Australia, Russia, the US, the UK, Canada and Europe the three-year study concluded that accounting for carbon stored deep in the permafrost more than doubles - to more than 1500 billion tonnes - previous estimates of the world's high-latitude carbon inventory. "This is equivalent to twice the current amount of CO2 in the world's atmosphere," says co-author, CSIRO's Dr Pep Canadell, from The Centre for Australian Weather and Climate Research - a partnership between CSIRO the Australian Bureau of Meteorology. "With temperatures in the higher latitudes estimated to rise by as much as eight degrees by the end of this century, the world could experience a major melt of large tracts of permafrost in Canada, Russia, Alaska, Norway, Sweden, Finland and Greenland," he says. "However, accurately predicting the magnitude and effect of thawing permafrost on the world's climate is difficult for several reasons. "While global carbon models may include simple permafrost dynamics they do not adequately represent the broader consequences, such as the decomposition of organic matter in thawing permafrost and the transformation of landscapes." Dr Canadell says that despite such limitations, scientists now know that even the release of a small fraction of this vast frozen reservoir of carbon would significantly accelerate climate change. "At current rates of warming in the higher latitudes, the evidence indicates that this is likely to happen," he says. Community Email This Article Comment On This Article Share This Article With Planet Earth
Related Links The Centre for Australian Weather and Climate Research (CAWCR) Climate Science News - Modeling, Mitigation Adaptation
New Book Examines Upper US Gulf Coast Climate Change And Sea-Level Rise
Boulder CO (SPX) Sep 12, 2008Climate change and sea-level rise in the upper U.S. Gulf Coast and across the globe are two of the greatest concerns of our time. This new Special Paper from The Geological Society of America addresses the response of upper U.S. Gulf Coast estuaries to Holocene climate change and sea-level rise in an effort to understand the current impact of global warming. |
|
|
| The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2007 - SpaceDaily.AFP and UPI Wire Stories are copyright Agence France-Presse and United Press International. ESA Portal Reports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additional copyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. Advertising does not imply endorsement,agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by SpaceDaily on any Web page published or hosted by SpaceDaily. Privacy Statement |
del.icio.us
Digg
Reddit
YahooMyWeb
Google
Facebook