Study: Global Warming Time Bomb Trapped In Arctic Soil

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Locked into the frozen Arctic tundra soils lies a ticking
time bomb. A warming climate may
unexpectedly release huge stores of carbon dioxide from Arctic
permafrost, which would in turn fuel a cycle of carbon-fueled climate
change, a new study
warns.

Accumulated and decaying plant matter is rich in carbon, and
there is a lot of it, that could dramatically exacerbate the effects of global
warming should these materials be unlocked.

For now this carbon-rich matter lies mostly dormant in the
permafrost of Siberia, Alaska,
and Canada,
according to the Discovery
Channel
. Scientists say that because
of the effects of global warming,
this ticking time bomb may be itching to go off. Our planet is warming as a result of billions
of tons of carbon pumped into our atmosphere each year, and the permafrost is
starting to melt.

In a recent study in the journal Nature Geoscience,
scientists estimate there may be almost 100 billion tons of carbon in the first
meter of soil alone.

Published: August 26, 2008