A pile of ancient logs nearly the size of Manhattan is sequestering millions of tons of carbon in northern Canada — and much of that stored material could be released into the atmosphere as a result of climate change, according to a recent study.
The fallen, tossed timber has in some cases lain for more than a millennium, protected from decay by the deep freeze and the tight packing of logs that are drifted northward across the Mackenzie River above the Arctic Circle. And now, amid warming temperatures and rising seas, it may be at risk of more rapid disintegration and decay, said Alicia Sendrowski, a researcher at Michigan Technological University who led the study. Natural carbon sinks such as forests, peatlands and the ocean are important buffers of climate change because they capture more carbon than they release into the atmosphere. Land-based carbon sinks are estimated to absorb a quarter of the world's emissions, a powerful but not always well-understood factor slowing warming. However, not all carbon stocks are resistant to rising temperatures, and some can break down quickly when pushed too hard. Thawing permafrost begins to melt slowly, then melts very quickly, leading to, for example, concerns about the massive release of carbon into the atmosphere and the associated problem. (Michael Birnbaum, MicrosoftStart)
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