Permafrost thawing in organic Arctic soils accelerated by ground heat production

Abstract

Quantification of microbial metabolic heat production in organic permafrost soils across Greenland reveals that the impacts of climate change on organic soils, and associated carbon storage, can be accelerated by microbial activity. Decomposition of organic carbon from thawing permafrost soils and the resulting release of carbon to the atmosphere are considered to represent a potentially critical global-scale feedback on climate change1,2. The accompanying heat production from microbial metabolism of organic material has been recognized as a potential positive-feedback mechanism that would enhance permafrost thawing and the release of carbon3,4. This internal heat production is poorly understood, however, and the strength of this effect remains unclear3. Here, we have quantified the variability of heat production in contrasting organic permafrost soils across Greenland and tested the hypothesis that these soils produce enough heat to reach a tipping point after which internal heat production can accelerate the decomposition processes. Results show that the impact of climate changes on natural organic soils can be accelerated by microbial heat production with crucial implications for the amounts of carbon being decomposed. The same is shown to be true for organic middens5 with the risk of losing unique evidence of early human presence in the Arctic.

Cite this article

Hollesen, J., Matthiesen, H., Møller, A. et al. Permafrost thawing in organic Arctic soils accelerated by ground heat production. Nature Clim Change 5, 574–578 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1038/nclimate2590

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