Permafrost thaw’s runaway effect on carbon release – Tim Radford

An international team of scientists has settled one puzzle of the Arctic permafrost and confirmed one long-standing fear: the vast amounts of carbon now preserved in the frozen soils could one day all get back into the atmosphere. Since the Arctic is the fastest-warming place on the planet, such a release of greenhouse gas could only accelerate global warming and …

Warming Climate May Release Vast Amounts Of Carbon From Long-Frozen Arctic Soils

More carbon is released into the atmosphere would amplify climate warming, and that, in turn, would cause more permafrost to thaw and release more carbon, causing the cycle to continue. Recent research by scientists has confirmed the suspicion scientists were making regarding the Arctic permafrost. Scientists estimate there is more than 10 times the amount of carbon in the Arctic …