Scientists at the University of Alberta (Canada) have found that the amount of carbon dioxide released into the atmosphere during the melting of permafrost is underestimated due to the weathering of ice-free rocks with the participation of sulfuric acid. This was announced in a press release on Phys.org.
The researchers concluded that the rapid thawing of the cryolithozone in the northwestern territories of Canada intensifies the weathering processes, leading to significant emissions of carbon dioxide. This is due to the occurrence of thermokarsts - areas of thawing of underground ice. The sulfide minerals freed from the latter undergo oxidation, and sulfuric acid is formed. It, in turn, destroys carbonate rocks with the release of carbon dioxide molecules.
According to experts, thermokarst weathering in the future may disrupt the global carbon cycle in fresh water in the Arctic. Thus, melting permafrost may contribute to more greenhouse gas emissions than previously thought. However, the impact of this mechanism on climate change remains poorly understood.
Earlier in September, an international team of scientists from Austria, France, the United Kingdom, Germany and Switzerland concluded that melting permafrost and associated carbon emissions reduced the carbon dioxide emissions budget to almost zero. As a result, exceeding the permissible levels of greenhouse gas emissions, which can lead to a climate disaster, is inevitable.