In the conditions of the climatic crisis hanging over the planet, scientists closely observe the largest “storages” of carbon on Earth - oceans, forests, ice shields and Arctic. The results of the new study turned out to be very disturbing - the data indicate that one of the largest "

A new study was conducted by an international group of scientists under the leadership of the Center for Climate Studies of Woodwell in Massachusetts. The results of their analysis showed that more than a third of the Arctic-Boreal zone (paragraph), including the tundra, forests and water-bolot lands around the polar circle, are now pushed out carbon, and do not absorb it. Moreover, scientists have discovered this reverse process in some other parts of the Arctic.

The focus. Technology has its own Telegram channel. Subscribe so as not to miss the latest and most exciting news from the world of science!

Scientists note that the paragraph as a whole is still considered an absorption of carbon, as it was for millennia, but the growth of global temperature is at risk of some key regions. According to the co -author of the study, ecologist Anna Virkkala, we urgently need detailed monitoring to understand how things are in these places.

The authors of the study found that many northern ecosystems are still acting as gas absorbers, but sources and fires, alas, now neutralize most of this pure absorption, and also reversify these long -standing trends.

It is assumed that the fire element is crucial. The team discovered that forest fires as the planet is warming up become more and more frequent and destructive in the Arctic and Boreal zone. Statistics also shows: taking into account forest fires, 40% of the paragraph were allocated more carbon dioxide than absorbed from 2001 to 2020. For comparison, if you do not take into account forest fires - 34% of the territories.

Note that the analysis of scientists is based on high resolution data collected from 200 carbon monitoring stations known as the ABC Flux network. Scientists also used additional field measurements, meteorological information and computer modeling.

According to another co -author of the study, ecologist Sue, they and colleagues have changed depending on the season. In summer, the absorber of carbon ABZ is the most influential, with a more green vegetation and a large amount of photosynthesis. However, in winter, unusually high temperatures increase the amount of soil and organic substances exposed to air, which means a larger emission of CO2 than usual.

Researchers note that such variability is not at all amazing, since the Arctic is a huge territory with a variety of ecosystems and climatic conditions. Fortunately, now we have the opportunity to track and mapping carbon processes with spatial resolution.

In general, for the period from 1990 to 2020, the paragraph on average was more absorption of carbon than its source. This is good news, but scientists are alarmed by the foci of variability, especially in the tundra regions. Moreover, scientists believe that almost half of the carbon stored in the soil on the planet is located in this region.

Previously, Focus wrote that scientists said that they knew when the first summer without ice will come in the Arctic.