FSU Scientist Joins Global Study of Decomposing Permafrost

It is all part of an ominous feedback loop, Chanton says.
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“There are 1,672 gigatons of carbon stored in the permafrost as soil and peat organic matter,” Chanton said. “To put that quantity in perspective, it is three times the amount of carbon found in our atmosphere, which contains 550 gigatons in the form of carbon dioxide. What will happen if all the permafrost thaws, releasing its gigantic store of carbon into the atmosphere? Will the respiration of that decomposing organic matter by bacteria produce not only carbon dioxide but also methane, a greenhouse gas 25 times more potent?
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A three-year, $2.8 million grant from the U.S. Department of Energy will fund the collaborative investigation, to be undertaken by researchers from five universities on three continents.