Massive remobilization of permafrost carbon during post-glacial warmingShow others and affiliations
2016 (English)In: Nature Communications, E-ISSN 2041-1723, Vol. 7, article id 13653Article in journal (Refereed) Published
Abstract [en]
Recent hypotheses, based on atmospheric records and models, suggest that permafrost carbon (PF-C) accumulated during the last glaciation may have been an important source for the atmospheric CO2 rise during post-glacial warming. However, direct physical indications for such PF-C release have so far been absent. Here we use the Laptev Sea (Arctic Ocean) as an archive to investigate PF-C destabilization during the last glacial–interglacial period. Our results show evidence for massive supply of PF-C from Siberian soils as a result of severe active layer deepening in response to the warming. Thawing of PF-C must also have brought about an enhanced organic matter respiration and, thus, these findings suggest that PF-C may indeed have been an important source of CO2 across the extensive permafrost domain. The results challenge current paradigms on the post-glacial CO2 rise and, at the same time, serve as a harbinger for possible consequences of the present-day warming of PF-C soils.
Place, publisher, year, edition, pages
2016. Vol. 7, article id 13653
National Category
Climate Research
Identifiers
URN: urn:nbn:se:su:diva-137464DOI: 10.1038/ncomms13653ISI: 000388661300001OAI: oai:DiVA.org:su-137464DiVA, id: diva2:1062733
2017-01-082017-01-082023-03-28Bibliographically approved