Digging into the Arctic tundra, scientists at Oak Ridge National Laboratory have uncovered new insights into how quickly microorganisms break down organic matter in warming Arctic soil—a process that releases stored carbon as carbon dioxide and methane.
For the past six years, some 140 scientists from five institutions have traveled to the Arctic Circle and beyond to gather field data as part of the Department of Energy-sponsored NGEE Arctic project.
Two years into a decade-long field experiment, ORNL scientists and their collaborators have found that ancient carbon buried deep inside northern peat- lands is resistant to release even as the soil warms.
A new integrated computational model reduces uncertainty in climate predictions by bridging Earth systems with energy and economic models and large-scale human impact data.
Deep stores of carbon in northern peatlands may remain stable despite rising temperatures, according to a team of researchers from several U.S.-based institutions. And that is good news for now, the researchers said.
Scientists of the Next-Generation Ecosystem Experiments are blogging from the Arctic this summer. Follow their adventures at http://ngee-arctic.blogspot.com/.
Whole-ecosystem warming technologies for the 10- year Spruce and Peatland Responses Under Climatic and Environmental Change project have been finalized using prototypes designed at Oak Ridge National Laboratory.