A previously unknown source of greenhouse gas emissions caused by the melting of permafrost has been found in Siberia.

Scientists from the University of Eastern Finland, in collaboration with colleagues from Russia, the USA, France and Germany, have discovered that when the yedoma, rich in organic matter in the permafrost Arctic soil, melts, nitrous oxide N2O is released in Eastern Siberia.

As you know, nitrous oxide ranks third after carbon dioxide and methane in terms of environmental damage. Despite this, per unit mass, nitrous oxide has three hundred times more influence on the climate than carbon dioxide.

Edomnye uplands occupy a large area in Eastern Siberia, Yakutia and Alaska. Previously, scientists believed that the main damage to the environment was caused by emissions of methane and carbon dioxide.

However, scientists noticed that the amount of greenhouse gases emitted from the soil near the Lena and Kolyma rivers exceeds the norm by one or two orders of magnitude for this area. The researchers also note that this figure has increased significantly in less than ten years.

According to scientists, the increase in emitted greenhouse gases is associated with the drying out and stabilization of frozen soil after thawing. In addition, an important role in this process is played by an increase in the population of microorganisms contained in food, which take part in the formation of greenhouse gas emissions. Previously, researchers did not pay enough attention to emissions of nitrous oxide from soils in permafrost regions, however, due to global warming, the process of greenhouse gas emissions in Eastern Siberia has significantly accelerated and continues to gain momentum.

bbabo.Net