{"id":66120,"date":"2026-04-22T13:46:12","date_gmt":"2026-04-22T13:46:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/dk\/66120\/"},"modified":"2026-04-22T13:46:12","modified_gmt":"2026-04-22T13:46:12","slug":"nasa-and-stockholm-university-put-the-planet-on-alert-by-revealing-that-the-arctic-permafrost-stores-1-4-trillion-tons-of-carbon-more-than-the-entire-atmosphere-and-has-already-become-a-net-source-o","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/dk\/66120\/","title":{"rendered":"NASA and Stockholm University put the planet on alert by revealing that the Arctic permafrost stores 1.4 trillion tons of carbon, more than the entire atmosphere, and has already become a net source of gases with methane bubbling from craters formed 30,000 years ago in a self-accelerating warming cycle."},"content":{"rendered":"

Arctic permafrost stores more carbon than the atmosphere and has already become a source of greenhouse gases, creating a difficult-to-reverse warming cycle.<\/p>\n

In\u00a0October 2024, analyses released by NASA, based on international studies including researchers from Stockholm University, confirmed a critical shift in the planet\u2019s climate balance:\u00a0the Arctic permafrost is ceasing to act as a carbon reservoir and is beginning to function as a net source of greenhouse gases. The central data supporting this concern is the scale of carbon stored. Scientific estimates indicate that permafrost contains about\u00a01.4 to 1.6 trillion tons of carbon,\u00a0more than double the carbon currently present in the Earth\u2019s atmosphere.\u00a0<\/p>\n

This carbon has been frozen for thousands of years in soils rich in organic matter. However, with rising temperatures,\u00a0this \u201cclimate vault\u201d is starting to open, releasing carbon dioxide (CO\u2082) and methane (CH\u2084), two of the main gases responsible for global warming.<\/p>\n

What is permafrost and why does it function as a \u201cfrozen carbon pump\u201d<\/p>\n

Permafrost is defined as soil that remains frozen for at least two consecutive years, but in practice, it can remain frozen for\u00a0thousands or even hundreds of thousands of years.\u00a0<\/p>\n

ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW<\/p>\n

See also <\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Astronomers put the planet on alert by revealing that a system with seven Earth-sized worlds 41 light-years away challenges the JWST itself, which after years of observation has failed to confirm whether the most promising planet has an atmosphere, exposing one of the biggest deadlocks ever seen in the search for life beyond Earth.<\/p>\n

\"\"\"\" <\/a><\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

With a flying wing, radar-absorbing coating, and hidden arsenal, this colossal U.S. bomber crosses oceans unseen, invades highly protected areas, and even attacks with nuclear weapons.<\/p>\n

\"\"\"\" <\/a><\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

China has just successfully tested the world\u2019s first ground effect maritime vehicle, a craft that flies up to 6 meters above the water at 200 km\/h, uses quantum technology and 6G communication, and can rescue patients in the middle of the ocean.<\/p>\n

\"\"\"\" <\/a><\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

The extratropical cyclone that formed in the ocean is already pushing a cold front with heavy rains over the South of Brazil, and meteorologists warn that Thursday will be the most dangerous day, with significant amounts of rain and cold advancing into Paraguay.<\/p>\n

\"\"\"\" <\/a><\/p>\n

Over this time, plants, animals, and organic matter have accumulated in these frozen layers without fully decomposing. This created a gigantic stockpile of carbon that remained stable while temperatures stayed low.<\/p>\n

The problem begins when the ice melts.\u00a0As it thaws, microorganisms start to decompose this organic matter, releasing gases into the atmosphere.\u00a0 Depending on soil conditions, carbon can be released as:<\/p>\n

Carbon dioxide, in oxygen-rich environments<\/p>\n

Methane, in oxygen-poor environments<\/p>\n

And it is precisely the methane that makes the scenario even more concerning.<\/p>\n

Methane is a greenhouse gas that is much more potent than CO\u2082 in the short term. Studies indicate that it can be\u00a0dozens of times more effective at trapping heat in the atmosphere, accelerating global warming.\u00a0<\/p>\n

This creates a phenomenon known as\u00a0positive climate feedback, where:<\/p>\n

Global warming melts permafrost<\/p>\n

Permafrost releases gases<\/p>\n

These gases further increase the temperature<\/p>\n

The cycle continuously intensifies<\/p>\n

This mechanism transforms permafrost into a self-accelerating system, making the control of global warming even more difficult.<\/p>\n

Arctic regions already emitting more carbon than they absorb<\/p>\n

Recent studies published in scientific journals such as\u00a0Nature Climate Change\u00a0show that this transformation is no longer theoretical.<\/p>\n

Research indicates that\u00a0more than 30% of Arctic areas have already become net sources of carbon, potentially reaching\u00a040% when emissions from wildfires are included.\u00a0<\/p>\n

This represents a historical reversal. For thousands of years, these regions acted as carbon sinks, helping to stabilize the global climate. Now,\u00a0these same areas are contributing to the increase in emissions.<\/p>\n

Furthermore, the Arctic is warming\u00a0between two and four times faster than the global average, which further accelerates this process.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Craters in Siberia and methane release reinforce physical signs of the phenomenon<\/p>\n

One of the most visible signs of this process occurs in Siberia, where giant craters have begun to appear in recent years. These formations are associated with the\u00a0release of methane accumulated beneath the permafrost, which can generate enough pressure to cause explosions in the frozen ground.\u00a0<\/p>\n

In addition to the craters, scientists have also documented the formation of lakes and flooded areas where methane escapes directly into the atmosphere, often in the form of visible bubbles on the surface. These phenomena reinforce that the process is already underway and is not just a future projection.<\/p>\n

Wildfires in the Arctic and increased emissions worsen the problem<\/p>\n

Another factor that intensifies carbon release in the Arctic is wildfires. With rising temperatures,\u00a0more frequent and intense fires are releasing large amounts of carbon directly into the atmosphere, in addition to accelerating the thawing of the soil.<\/p>\n

Data indicates that emissions associated with permafrost are already comparable to those of large emitting countries, potentially reaching hundreds of millions of tons per year.\u00a0<\/p>\n

This combined effect \u2014 fires + thawing \u2014 creates a scenario in which the Arctic ceases to be a climate regulator and instead acts as an amplifier of global warming.<\/p>\n

Why permafrost carbon represents a hard-to-control risk<\/p>\n

Unlike industrial emissions, which can be reduced through public policies and technology, permafrost carbon presents an additional challenge:\u00a0once released, it cannot be easily \u201crefrozen\u201d.<\/p>\n

Even if human emissions are reduced, the carbon already stored in permafrost can continue to be released for decades or centuries.<\/p>\n

\"Arctic\"ArcticArctic permafrost stores more carbon than the atmosphere and has already become a source of greenhouse gases<\/p>\n

Projections indicate that thawing could release between\u00a055 and 232 billion tons of carbon by 2100, depending on the climate scenario.\u00a0<\/p>\n

This means that permafrost may continue to contribute to global warming even in mitigation scenarios.<\/p>\n

Global impact goes beyond the Arctic and affects the whole climate system<\/p>\n

Although the phenomenon is concentrated in the Arctic, its consequences are global. The increase in CO\u2082 and methane emissions directly affects:<\/p>\n

Global average temperature<\/p>\n

Extreme weather events<\/p>\n

Sea level<\/p>\n

Stability of ecosystems<\/p>\n

What happens in permafrost does not stay in the Arctic \u2014 it influences the climate of the entire planet. Moreover, changes in the Arctic also have geopolitical, economic, and environmental implications, including new shipping routes, resource exploration, and impacts on local communities.<\/p>\n

Have you ever imagined that a frozen soil for thousands of years can accelerate global warming<\/p>\n

The case of permafrost reveals one of the most complex aspects of climate change:\u00a0not all threats come directly from current human activity \u2014 some are stored in the planet\u2019s natural system itself.<\/p>\n

What used to function as a mechanism of stability is transforming into a source of instability. And this raises a central question:<\/p>\n

to what extent can the planet continue to absorb impacts without triggering processes that escape human control.<\/p>\n

The thawing of permafrost is not just another effect of climate change \u2014 it may be one of the elements that make this process faster, more intense, and more difficult<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Arctic permafrost stores more carbon than the atmosphere and has already become a source of greenhouse gases, creating…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":66121,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[83],"tags":[36361,36362,131,132],"class_list":{"0":"post-66120","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-stockholm","8":"tag-carbono","9":"tag-permafrost","10":"tag-stockholm","11":"tag-sweden"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@dk\/116448669774146212","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/dk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/66120","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/dk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/dk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/dk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/dk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=66120"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/dk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/66120\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/dk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/66121"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/dk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=66120"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/dk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=66120"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/dk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=66120"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}