Antarctic permafrost is releasing significant amounts of carbon dioxide.

What it means

A new study published in the journal Global Biogeochemical Cycles finds that carbon dioxide emissions from permafrost in Antarctica's McMurdo Dry Valleys have increased fivefold over five years, reaching 1.14–1.55 teragrams per year across the 4,500 km² ice-free area. This is the first robust estimate of CO₂ emissions from Antarctic permafrost, and the rapid increase suggests that this permafrost—previously largely ignored in carbon budgets—could become a significant and growing source of greenhouse gases. The emissions are partly driven by thawing of ice-rich permafrost and release of geogenic (geologically stored) carbon.

Accuracy & sourcesGrounded