The amount of carbon dioxide released from thawing permafrost might be greater than previously thought because of a process called mineral weathering, according to a new study by University of Alberta ecologists.
The amount of carbon dioxide released from thawing permafrost might be greater than previously thought because of a process called mineral weathering, according to a new study by University of Alberta ecologists.
Mineral weathering occurs when minerals previously locked up in permafrost are exposed and broken down into their chemical components by sulfuric or carbonic acid that can exist naturally in water.
Over long, geologic time scales, carbonic acid weathering is an important control on atmospheric CO2 levels and climate, but under the right conditions, weathering by sulfuric acid can release substantial CO2.
PhD candidate Scott Zolkos and his supervisor, U of A biologist Suzanne Tank, found that these conditions are prevalent in the western Canadian Arctic.
Read more at University of Alberta
Image: Pictured here is a permafrost thaw slump that is exposing sediment- and ice-rich permafrost on the Peel Plateau in Canada's Northwest Territories. (Credit: Scott Zolkos)
