COSEE Ocean Systems: News
Permafrost collapse after shrub removal shifts tundra ecosystem to a methane source
Description: Arctic tundra ecosystems are warming almost twice as fast as the global average. Permafrost thaw and the resulting release of greenhouse gases from decomposing soil organic carbon have the potential to accelerate climate warming. In recent decades, Arctic tundra ecosystems have changed rapidly, including expansion of woody vegetation, in response to changing climate conditions. How such vegetation changes contribute to stabilization or destabilization of the permafrost is unknown. This journal paper presents six years of field observations in a shrub removal experiment at a Siberian tundra site. [Source: Nature Climate Change]
URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/nclimate2446
Availability: Summary
Source: Nature Climate Change
Publish Date: 1/1/2015
Reading Level: Expert
Page Length:  

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