This is critical to understanding how the atmosphere will behave

Nov 9, 2011 11:08 GMT  ·  By
Researchers tap the arctic permafrost for soil samples that can be studied to assess their microbial composition and the impact of these populations by thawing conditions
   Researchers tap the arctic permafrost for soil samples that can be studied to assess their microbial composition and the impact of these populations by thawing conditions

A collaboration of researchers in the United States recently carried out a new study on how microbes in permanently-frozen soils, called permafrost, react to a warming world. This is important because permafrost retains vast amounts of greenhouse gases.

Spanning from the North Pole to the Arctic Ocean, these soils sequester vast amounts of methane and other chemicals that contain carbon. As thawing is moving further north, these dangerous gases are being eliminated in the atmosphere, contributing to climate change.

Previous studies have estimated that as many as 1,672 billion metric tons of carbon are contained within these soils. This is the equivalent of 250 times the amount of greenhouse gases the United States alone released in Earth's atmosphere in 2009.

Needless to say, if these chemicals are released in the air, they may very well push the climate past its tipping point. Scientists are constantly looking for ways to ensure that this does not happen, and understanding precisely what is happening in the Arctic is just a start.

The new study was conducted precisely in this direction. It was carried out by experts with the US Department of Energy (DOE) Joint Genome Institute (JGI), the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab) Earth Sciences Division (ESD) and the US Geological Survey (USGS).

Experts were especially interested in learning how microbes in the permafrost react to higher temperatures. A novel microorganism was discovered in the soils, which apparently produces methane as a byproduct. The finding is detailed in the November 6 online issue of the top journal Nature.

“The permafrost is poised to become a major source of greenhouse gases as the temperature in the Arctic is expected to increase dramatically compared to the expected temperature increase in many other regions of the world,” ESD investigator Janet Jansson says.

“By applying metagenomics to study microbial community composition and function, we can help to answer questions about how the currently uncultivated and unstudied microbial species residing in permafrost cycle organic carbon and release greenhouse gases during thaw,” she explains.

“This will provide valuable information that could lead to improved carbon cycle models and eventual mitigation strategies,” adds the scientist, the corresponding author of the paper. Her funding came from a DOE Laboratory Directed Research and Development grant.