Recent research reveals that the Arctic tundra is heating up at an alarming rate, much faster than the global average. This increase in temperature is expected to stimulate underground microbes to release more carbon dioxide, potentially creating a dangerous cycle that exacerbates climate change.
Described as a “sleepy biome” by environmental scientist Sybryn Maes from Umeå University in Sweden, the tundra is home to small shrubs, grasses, and lichen thriving in cold, carbon-rich soils. The warming climate is predicted to awaken these dormant microbes, leading to increased CO2 emissions, a phenomenon that has been challenging to observe in field studies.
The study, published in Nature on April 17, demonstrated that a 1.4-degree Celsius temperature rise resulted in a 30% rise in CO2 respiration across the study sites. While some experiments lasted only a year, the longest study spanned 25 growing seasons, showing sustained effects over time.
Although it is evident that higher temperatures enhance CO2 respiration on average, there is significant variability among different sites, particularly in nitrogen-poor soil. As temperatures increase, plant and microbial activity intensifies, leading to greater CO2 production.
This study provides compelling evidence that warmer temperatures will stimulate microbial activity, leading to increased CO2 emissions, according to environmental microbiologist Nicholas Bouskill from Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory in California. Previous studies, including Bouskill’s own research, were smaller in scale and yielded conflicting results.
Date: 2024-05-06 10:30:00
Originally published on www.sciencenews.org