The warming climate shifts the dynamics of tundra environments and makes them release trapped carbon, according to a new study published in. These changes could transform tundras from carbon sinks into a carbon source, exacerbating the effects of climate change.
"We knew from earlier studies that we were likely to find an increase in respiration with warming, but we found a remarkable increase -- nearly four times greater than previously estimated, though it varied with time and location," says Sybryn Maes of Umeå University, the study's lead author. The study also offers a broader perspective on Arctic and alpine regions by predicting increases in respiration across the whole tundra area together with more detailed information about variation in the sensitivity of the response.