“If the Arctic Tundra is really emitting more carbon than it absorbs then we are in some peril.  We simply have to dramatically reduce CO2 and methane production and do this very quickly.  Even if you are a global warming sceptic you cannot take the risk.”

The Arctic tundra is undergoing a dramatic transformation, driven by frequent wildfires that are turning it into a net source of carbon dioxide emissions after millennia of acting as a carbon sink, the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (Noaa) said on Tuesday.

This drastic shift is detailed in Noaa’s 2024 Arctic Report Card, which revealed that annual surface air temperatures in the Arctic this year were the second-warmest on record since 1900.

“Our observations now show that the Arctic tundra, which is experiencing warming and increased wildfire, is now emitting more carbon than it stores, which will worsen climate change impacts,” said Rick Spinrad, a Noaa administrator.

The report, led by scientists from the Woodwell Climate Research Center in Falmouth, Massachusetts, found that the Arctic is warming faster than the global average for the 11th year in a row.

Currently, it is warming at up to four times the global rate, the authors found.

Climate warming has dual effects on the Arctic. While it

 

Further reading from Earth and Leaf . . .

Methane Emissions on the rise

Loss of Antarctic Sea Ice is at Crisis Point