Researchers have discovered that a relatively small number of Arctic groundwater that passes through the Alaska Tundra has released a large amount of carbon into the sea, which can contribute to climate change.
They are composed of only a small part of the water where the Arctic groundwater is discharged into the sea, but in the summer, they release 230 tons of organic carbon of 230 tons per day along the 2,000 kilometer coastline of the Viewfort Sea. I found.
This amount of carbon is equivalent to a river that flows freely in the region in a few months in summer.
“This study shows a huge amount of organic carbon and carbon dioxide released via fresh groundwater mediator in summer,” said Cansu Demir, who led the research. 。
The Arctic groundwater creates a huge carbon source
If the tundra continues to thaw and the flow of submarine -rhinometer chets continues, Demir stated that due to the outflow of carbon from the coast to the sea, the sea surface could be effectively a carbon source to the atmosphere.
CO2 released through the Arctic groundwater may contribute to marine acidization and overall climate change.
This study was the first to use direct observations to show that freshwater is released in the sea in the submarine environment where the coast meets the sea. Before this study, it was thought that fresh submarine drainage excretion in the Arctic region was very limited.
This study is also the first thing that is isolated to rainwater, snow melting, shallow ice ice, and freshwater, which is composed of freshwater discharge from thawing several permanent frozen soil.
Previous studies on the Arctic Circle’s groundwater secretion contained a re -circular salt that penetrated from the coast to the ground.
How does this contribute to climate change?
Using direct observation, numerical modeling, and heat and hydraulic technologies, researchers have been discharged from the three major rivers in the area of the three major rivers in the area of fresh Arctic groundwater in the Viewfort Sea in the northern Alaska during the summer. I found that it is equivalent to -7 %.
According to Demir, this amount of water is surprisingly high. He stated that it was comparable to fresh groundwater emissions in the low latitude temperature zone.
The volume of the groundwater is small in proportion to the entire river flow, but holds the same amount of carbon.
Demir explained as follows. “With a small amount of water, the groundwater carries almost the same amount of organic carbon and nitrogen as the river.”
The Arctic groundwater moves under the soil and sediment when heading to the coast, and picks up organic matter, inorganic substances, and nutrients on the journey.
Interaction with permanent frozen soil can receive a large amount of carbon. Permanent frozen soil is similar to the basement estuary. It holds a large amount of water and organic matter. When the ice melts and becomes part of the flow of the groundwater, it can also bring a huge amount of carbon.
The Arctic is changing in front of us
“The Arctic Circle is changing in front of us,” said Bayani Caldenas, a co -author of the study and a professor of the Jackson School of Planeteller Sciences.
“When the permanent frozen soil is melted, it changes to the coastal and submarine bandwater layers. Even without this thawing, our research is one of the first research that directly indicates the existence of such a band. “
In addition to contributing to the global climate change, the heavy inflow of carbon and nitrogen can have a significant impact on the Arctic coastal ecology.
For example, the acidification of the ocean can lead to an increase in vulnerabilities in some organisms living on the sea floor, such as crustaceans, clams, and snails.
As the permanent frozen soil continues to solve under climate change, the amount of freshwater in the Arctic Circle to the sea in the underground increases in the submersory, and more greenhouse gases are sent to the coastal waters.
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