Reduced Arctic Ocean CO2 uptake due to coastal permafrost erosion

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 CO 2 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 CO 2 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.

Authors

Institutions

Publication Details

Journal
Nature Climate Change
Published
2024-08-12
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1038/s41558-024-02074-3
Citations
17
Primary Topic
Climate change and permafrost
Type
article
Field-Weighted Citation Impact
6.40

Funders

Controls
|||
ALL TIME
JAN
FEB
MAR
APR
MAY
JUN
JUL
AUG
SEP
OCT
article

Reduced Arctic Ocean CO2 uptake due to coastal permafrost erosion

Johanna Baehr, Sebastian Brune, Joeran Maerz, Tatiana Ilyina et al.
17 citations
Nature Climate Change
Climate change and permafrost
6.40
article

Reduced Arctic Ocean CO2 uptake due to coastal permafrost erosion

Johanna Baehr, Sebastian Brune, Joeran Maerz, Tatiana Ilyina, Moritz Mathis, Mikhail Dobrynin, David Nielsen, Victor A. Brovkin, Fatemeh Chegini
article en
17 citations

Abstract

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 CO 2 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 CO 2 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.

Nature Climate ChangeVol. 14(9)
Universität Hamburg (DE), Deutscher Wetterdienst (DE), Helmholtz-Zentrum Hereon (DE), Max Planck Institute for Meteorology (DE)
Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft, Max-Planck-Gesellschaft, Universität Hamburg, Horizon 2020 Framework Programme
Life below water
Openalex Percentile: Top 2%
Climate change and permafrost
6.40
DOIOpen Access PDFOpenAlex
AI Navigator

Ask Laika to Summarize, Analyze, and Connect papers live on the map.

Summarize Papers & Methodologies

Extract key findings, datasets, and comparative methods across publications.

Benchmark Rankings & Visual Analytics

Rank top research institutions, authors, funders, topics, and journals by Field-Weighted Citation Impact (FWCI) and paper volume with instant charts.

Connect Distant Disciplines

Bridge topological clusters on the map to find hidden collaborative intersections.