International research team begins to uncover Arctic mysteries

Something lies beneath the Arctic Ocean. While not a monster, it has remained largely a mystery.

According to 25 international researchers who collaborated on a first-class study, frozen land below rising sea levels is currently capturing 60 billion tons of methane and 560 billion tons of organic carbon. Not much is known about the frozen sediment and soil ?? called submarine permafrost ?? even when it melts and releases methane and carbon that can have a profound effect on climate.

To show the amount of greenhouse gases in submarine permafrost, humans have emitted about 500 billion tonnes of carbon into the atmosphere since the Industrial Revolution, said geological engineer Sandia National Laboratories, Jennifer Frederick, one of the authors of the study published in IOP Publishing journal Environmental Research Letters.

While researchers claim that submarine permafrost is not a time bomb and would take hundreds of years to emit their greenhouse gases, Frederick said stock underwater carbon permafrost represents feedback from a major ecosystem on climate change that is not yet included in climate forecasts and agreements.

It’s expected to be released over a long period of time, but it’s still largely over, ?? she said. This expert assessment reveals that we can’t just ignore it because it’s underwater, and we can’t see it. It weeps there, and is a great source of carbon, especially methane. ??

Researchers combine expert analysis of known data

The team of researchers led by Brigham Young University graduate student Sara Sayedi and senior researcher Ben Abbott compiled articles and reports on the topic to create a fundamental analysis of submarine permanence to influence on climate change. The study was coordinated through the Permafrost Carbon Network, which includes more than 400 members from 130 research centers in 21 countries.

The study was conducted through an expert assessment that sought answers to a number of key questions: What is the current state of submarine climate? How much carbon is trapped in a permanent underwater? What went and what will be released? What is the level of release into the atmosphere?

The participating experts answered questions using their scientific skills, which may include modeling, data analysis or literature synthesis. Frederick, one of the original proponents of the study, has been modeling submarine permafrost for nearly 10 years and answered the questions through the lens of her research, which specializes in numerical modeling. She said she uses published materials to model or work directly with researchers who visit the Arctic and provide datasets.

Her work on the study was funded by the Lab-led Research and Development program that allows Sandia scientists and engineers to explore innovative solutions to national security issues.

Frederick’s work in conjunction with the Sandia Arctic Science and Security Initiative. For more than 20 years, the Labs have had a presence in northern Alaska, Sandia atmospheric sciences manager Lori Parrott said.

Working for the Department of Energy’s Biological and Environmental Research Office, Sandia manages an Atmospheric Radiation Measurement user facility that continuously collects atmospheric data. Researchers measure and predict de-icing speed at the northern slope to help federal leaders make decisions on climate change and national security. In addition, Sandia creates accurate models for both sea and land ice and develops technologies for greenhouse gas exploration. With more than 20 years of data, researchers can begin to validate trends, Parrott said.

Permafrost explores a reason for unification

?? I hope this study begins to unite the research community in permanent underwater, ?? said Frederick. Historically, not only has it been a challenging place to do site work and comment, but there are language and other barriers to accessing the ideas and literature that exist. has already challenged international scientific progress in this area. ??

The team estimates that permafrost permafrost has been melting since the end of the last glacial period 14,000 years ago, and is currently emitting about 140 million tonnes of carbon dioxide and 5.3 million tonnes of methane into the atmosphere each year. This represents a small fraction of total greenhouse gas emissions each year, around the same annual footprint as Spain, Sayedi said.

However, modern greenhouse gas emissions are largely due to the natural response to deglaciation, according to the study. Expert estimates from this study suggest that human-induced global warming may accelerate greenhouse gas emissions, but due to a lack of research and uncertainty in this area, the causes and levels of emissions will not be known. out so that better empirical estimates and modeling are available.

I hope this study sheds light on the existence of an underwater climate, and that people are exploring its role in climate, ?? Said Frederick. ?? The size of the research community does not reflect its importance in the climate system. ??

Almost all experts involved in the study commented on the information gap on marine sustainability, which makes it more difficult for scientists to anticipate changes and reduce the reliability of estimates of carbon basins. and fluxes, as well as permafrost thermal and irrigation conditions. Frederick said that while there is a wealth of ongoing study of terrestrial climate, underwater permafrost has not been undertaken in this way before, and has not been the subject of almost as much international cooperation. .

The amount of carbon captured or related to submarine climate is relevant compared to the amounts of carbon in permanent ground freezing and the amount in the atmosphere today, Frederick said.

?? This is an example of a large source of carbon that has not been considered in climate forecasts or agreements, ?? she said. ?? While it is not a ticking time bomb, it is certain that submarine carbon stocks cannot be overlooked, and we need to find out more about how they will affect the Earth in the future. future. ??

IMAGE CHAPEL:

This artistic diagram of underwater and coastal ecosystems emphasizes the production and emission of greenhouse gases. Sandia National Laboratories physiology engineer Jennifer Frederick is one of the authors of a recent study into the release of such gases from submarine perennials. (Artwork by Victor O. Leshyk, Center for Science and Ecosystem Society, University of Northern Arizona)

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Sandia National Laboratories is a multicast laboratory run by National Technology and Engineering Solutions of Sandia LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Honeywell International Inc., for the U.S. Department of Energy’s National Nuclear Security Administration. Sandia Labs has key research and development responsibilities in nuclear deterrence, global security, defense, energy technologies and economic competitiveness, with key facilities in Albuquerque, New Mexico, and Livermore, California.