A new study finds that over the past 20 years, more than 30% of the Arctic and surrounding areas have transformed from sinks for carbon dioxide into sources, reports the Woodwell Climate Research Center (WCRC).
An international team of climate scientists analyzed data collected from 2001 to 2020, including information from more than 200 climate stations in Canada, Alaska, Greenland, Svalbard, Scandinavia and the Russian Arctic. These data were supplemented by satellite and aircraft measurements and processed using machine learning.
A. Wirkkala, a research scientist at WCRC, said: “We have created the most comprehensive map of carbon distribution in northern regions by looking closely at changing fire frequency. Our analysis shows that while most northern ecosystems are still sequestering CO₂, increasing fires and new sources of carbon dioxide emissions are changing this trend.”
The study found that about 34% of the Arctic tundra, northern taiga and wetlands became sources of CO₂ over the past two decades. Taking into account fires, this figure increases to 40%. Particularly significant increases in emissions were recorded in Scandinavia, as well as in southern Siberia and Chukotka in Russia.
A. Wirkkala emphasized that changes in the carbon cycle in the permafrost zone are serious and foreshadow even more significant changes in the future. The study points to the need for close monitoring of climate hotspots in the coming decades to understand and potentially mitigate these changes.
Source: Neftegaz.RU
