Melting permafrost in places like Sweden could result in even higher levels of carbon emissions than predicted, accelerating climate change.
Researchers have found that as permafrost melts in polar regions, it changes the composition of vegetation in the area, resulting in the release of methane.
They say they have known for some time that the permafrost is melting, but didn’t know it would result in even higher levels of methane being released, which will exacerbate the problem.
Methane has a disproportionately large global warming potential, with 33 times more impact on warming than carbon dioxide.
Read more at Florida State University