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https://www.npr.org/2024/12/10/nx-s1-5215967/arctic-tundra-contributes-climate-warming-pollution-report-finds>
'Arctic tundra, which has stored carbon for thousands of years, has now become
a source of planet-warming pollution. As wildfires increase and hotter
temperatures melt long-frozen ground, the region is releasing greenhouse gases
into the atmosphere.
The finding was reported in the National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration's annual
Arctic Report Card, released Tuesday. The new
research, led by scientists from the Woodwell Climate Research Center in
Falmouth, Massachusetts, signals a dramatic shift in this Arctic ecosystem,
which could have widespread implications for the global climate.
"The tundra, which is experiencing warming and increased wildfire, is now
emitting more carbon that it stores, which will worsen climate change impacts,"
NOAA Administrator Rick Spinrad said in a press release. "This is yet one more
sign, predicted by scientists, of the consequences of inadequately reducing
fossil fuel pollution."
The finding doesn't surprise Róisín Commane, a climate scientist at Columbia
University, who was not involved in the research. She said polar scientists
knew this could happen but she said it's concerning to see the shift take
place.
"It means that that CO₂ will keep going," Commane said. "We won't be able to do
much about it."
The Arctic is warming faster than the global average for the 11th year in a
row, according to the report card.
The warming directly influences global sea-level rise, weather patterns,
wildlife migrations, and other effects of human-caused climate change—all
driven primarily by burning fossil fuels.'
Via Susan ****
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
