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The Arctic, once one of the world’s greatest carbon sinks, is fast becoming a greenhouse gas emitter.
A report published Tuesday by the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration found that the Arctic tundra now emits more carbon than it stores, as the region experiences rapid warming and increased wildfires.
“This is yet one more sign, predicted by scientists, of the consequences of inadequately reducing fossil fuel pollution,” NOAA Administrator Rick Spinrad said.
The Arctic warmed faster than the global average for the 11th consecutive year, the report found. The problem extends beyond carbon: The melting tundra gives way to plants, which bacteria in the soil eat and produce methane, another greenhouse gas. A separate study published on Dec. 3 suggested the Arctic Ocean could see its first ice-free days as soon as 2027.
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About 1.5 trillion tons of carbon remains stored in permafrost, which is more carbon than in all the trees in all the world’s forests, according to NPR, and unleashing that carbon could significantly accelerate the effects of climate change.
The warming arctic is already having noticeable ecological impacts: Inland caribou populations have declined by 65% over recent decades, according tot the NOAA report.