Division of Terrestrial Ecosystem Research, Centre for Microbiology and Environmental Systems Science, University of Vienna (UniVie), 1030 Vienna, Austria
Julia Wagner
Department of Physical Geography, Stockholm University (SU), 106 91 Stockholm, Sweden
Division of Terrestrial Ecosystem Research, Centre for Microbiology and Environmental Systems Science, University of Vienna (UniVie), 1030 Vienna, Austria
Gustaf Hugelius
Department of Physical Geography, Stockholm University (SU), 106 91 Stockholm, Sweden
Chris Boucher
Department of Earth Sciences, Faculty of Sciences, 1081 HV, Amsterdam, the Netherlands
Rachele Lodi
Institute of Polar Science (CNR-ISP), Ca' Foscari University of Venice (Unive), National Research Council, 30172 Mestre Venice, Italy
Climate change and warming in the Arctic exceed global averages. As a result, permanently frozen soils (permafrost) which store vast quantities of carbon in the form of dead plant material (organic matter) are thawing. Our study shows that as permafrost landscapes degrade, high concentrations of organic matter are released. Partly, this organic matter is degraded rapidly upon release, while another significant fraction enters stream networks and enters the Arctic Ocean.
Climate change and warming in the Arctic exceed global averages. As a result, permanently frozen...