Early Spring Thaw Triggers Arctic Greenhouse Gas Release

Joseph Lilek (jlilek@americangeosciences.org)

3/20/2017

 

The Arctic looks pretty inactive during the winter, but more may be happening than meets the eye.  According to a recent study, some carbon dioxide and methane are released during the early spring thaw, suggesting that critical processes are taking place during the Arctic winter.

 

These greenhouse gas releases, which were remotely detected near Barrow, Alaska, could have easily been dismissed as a measurement error. But a research team did some digging - literally, removing cores of frozen soil from the study site. When they allowed the cores to thaw, they discovered pockets of methane and carbon dioxide that had built up during the late fall months.  In the April issue of EARTH Magazine, read how the research team discovered these intermittent greenhouse gas emissions, and learn about the implications for both the Arctic carbon cycle and global climate. Read the full story at EARTH online: https://www.earthmagazine.org/article/early-spring-thaw-triggers-arctic-greenhouse-gas-release.

 

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Keep up to date with the latest happenings in Earth, energy and environment news with EARTH Magazine online at www.earthmagazine.org. Published by the American Geosciences Institute, EARTH is your source for the science behind the headlines. Now available on Kindle.

 

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The American Geosciences Institute is a nonprofit federation of geoscientific and professional associations that represents more than 250,000 geologists, geophysicists and other earth scientists. Founded in 1948, AGI provides information services to geoscientists, serves as a voice of shared interests in the profession, plays a major role in strengthening geoscience education, and strives to increase public awareness of the vital role the geosciences play in society's use of resources, resiliency to natural hazards, and interaction with the environment.

 

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