UA Palmer Center Study - Alaskan Permafrost Contains Nearly 2X Previous Estimates Of Organic Matter

[hatrack]

FAIRBANKS — Alaskans should watch where they step. University of Alaska professor Chien-Lu Ping and a team of researchers have dug more than 100 holes around the state, taking permafrost samples for a paper published in the October issue of the journal Nature Geoscience. In the paper, Ping concluded frozen Arctic soil contains nearly twice as much organic material and greenhouse gases as previously thought. He based his conclusions on the information collected in Alaska and more than 10 years of research.

According to measurements by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the Earth’s atmosphere contains about 387 parts per million of carbon dioxide — about 824 billion tons in total. Alaska tundra and the Canadian tundra zone holds one-sixth that amount — about 137 billion tons — and the amount in Russia is still unknown, Ping said. If the permafrost melted, “it would release a big flux of gases into the atmosphere,” he said.

Permafrost is any material that remains frozen for two or more years. Most permafrost, however, has an active layer that warms and cools with changes in temperature while staying below the freezing point.

The greenhouse gases within the permafrost are contained in organic material — the semi-frozen remains of ancient plants — found on top of and in the upper layers of permafrost. When the organic material thaws, it begins to decompose, releasing carbon dioxide and methane into the atmosphere. As the Arctic grows warmer, more permafrost thaws, causing more organic material to decompose. And Ping’s study has revealed more organic material than ever just waiting to decompose.

EDIT

http://newsminer.com/news/2008/nov/11/new-permafrost-study-reveals-larger-global-warming/

[dembotoz]

1. so what you are saying is that the election results are not the only thing that smells in Alaska?