Climate warming contributes to the thawing of permafrost soils all over the world.
Climate warming contributes to the thawing of permafrost soils all over the world. As a consequence, large volumes of organic carbon are exposed and converted into carbon dioxide (CO2) on land and in rivers – a positive feedback mechanism that is further accelerating climate change.
A study recently published in the journal Nature has now suggested that an effect which is only rarely considered in permafrost studies could significantly diminish this vicious circle: The weathering of rocks.
“Minerals within and underneath permafrost soils that are exposed due to permafrost thaw can weather and directly impact the carbon cycle,” explains Aaron Bufe, Professor of Sedimentology at LMU and one of the lead authors of the new study.
Read More at: Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München
