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About 90% of the carbon absorbed into the oceans (making up the ocean sink for CO2) occurs in the polar and sub-polar regions.
This carbon sink in the Arctic Ocean is being severely undercut by coastal erosion.
The coastal permafrost is not only being severely thawed by crazy warm air temperatures (it reached over 27C for 4 days a few weeks ago in Inuvik, for example) but because of the lack of Arctic Sea Ice, including so-called fast ice frozen to the shorelines). Without sea ice along the coastlines, there is larger wave action and more coastal thaw slumps, putting the thawed organic matter into the churning coastal waters.
Also, with a thawed coastline devoid of permafrost, the rivers entering the Arctic Ocean undercut and enlarge as the water slices through the softened mud material left over from the permafrost thawing.
Not good…
Arctic Ocean may absorb less CO2 than projected due to coastal erosion
https://www.latimes.com/environment/story/2024-08-12/as-planet-warms-the-arctic-ocean-is-absorbing-less-co2
https://hamburg-business.com/en/news/uni-hamburg-arctic-research-enthuellt-co2-rueckgang
NSIDC: Frozen Ground and Permafrost: Why it Matters; Quick facts
https://nsidc.org/learn/parts-cryosphere/frozen-ground-permafrost/why-frozen-ground-matters
https://nsidc.org/learn/parts-cryosphere/frozen-ground-permafrost/quick-facts-frozen-ground
Carbon Cycle graphic
https://nsidc.org/sites/default/files/images/carboncycle.png
Permafrost Graphic
https://nsidc.org/sites/default/files/images/permafrost-methane-GSCanada.png
Peer reviewed scientific paper:
Reduced Arctic Ocean CO2 uptake due to coastal permafrost erosion
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41558-024-02074-3.pdf
Abstract
Arctic coastal permafrost erosion is projected to increase by a factor of 2–3 by 2100. However, organic matter fluxes from the coastal permafrost into the ocean have not been considered in Earth system models so far. Here we represent coastal permafrost erosion in an Earth system model and perform simulations with varying permafrost organic matter properties, such as sinking fraction and nutrient content. We find that coastal erosion reduces the Arctic Ocean CO2 uptake from the atmosphere in all simulations: by 4.6–13.2 TgC yr−1 by 2100, which is ~7–14% of the Inner Arctic Ocean uptake. We show that coastal permafrost erosion exerts a positive biogeochemical feedback on climate, increasing atmospheric CO2 by 1–2 TgC yr−1 per °C of increase in global surface air temperature. Our work will allow coastal permafrost erosion to be considered in future climate change assessments.
Please donate to http://PaulBeckwith.net to support my research and videos as I connect the dots on abrupt climate system mayhem.
by paulhenrybeckwith