Permafrost and Climate Change: Carbon Cycle Feedbacks From the Warming Arctic

2022/10/17 by Edward A. G. Schuur, Benjamin W. Abbott, R. Commane +18 · 24 citations
Earth and Planetary Sciences · Environmental Science · #Climate change and permafrost #Cryospheric studies and observations #Methane Hydrates and Related Phenomena

paper · pdf · doi:10.1146/annurev-environ-012220-011847

openalex publication_date 2022/10/17 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/29

Abstract

Rapid Arctic environmental change affects the entire Earth system as thawing permafrost ecosystems release greenhouse gases to the atmosphere. Understanding how much permafrost carbon will be released, over what time frame, and what the relative emissions of carbon dioxide and methane will be is key for understanding the impact on global climate. In addition, the response of vegetation in a warming climate has the potential to offset at least some of the accelerating feedback to the climate from permafrost carbon. Temperature, organic carbon, and ground ice are key regulators for determining the impact of permafrost ecosystems on the global carbon cycle. Together, these encompass services of permafrost relevant to global society as well as to the people living in the region and help to determine the landscape-level response of this region to a changing climate.

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Related

• Resilience and vulnerability of permafrost to climate changeThis article is one of a selection of papers from The Dynamics of Change in Alaska’s Boreal Forests: Resilience and Vulnerability in Response to Climate Warming.
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• Developments in Permafrost Science and Engineering in Response to Climate Warming in Circumpolar and High Mountain Regions, 2019–2024
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