Arctic Tipping Point on the Horizon
Posted by Michael Bradbury in Biochemistry, Ecology, Environment, Geology, Global Warming, Oceanography, Physics and Chemistry, SciClips on 10 16th, 2009 | no responses
Evidence of global warming is hitting the Arctic harder than anywhere else. The rate of climate change is twice that of the rest of the world.
And, now scientists are discovering the Arctic region plays an important role in capturing atmospheric carbon, both in the ocean and on land.
But that delicate system might be in jeopardy as the polar ice caps melt, triggering a feedback loop of increased warming and melting.
As permafrost melts for the first time ever, there might be a big threat looming–methane–which could help convert the Arctic carbon sink into a big greenhouse gas emitter.
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