Carbon Cycling Linkages to Permafrost Systems (CYCLOPS)

Vegetation generally absorbs carbon emissions from the atmosphere, and a warming Arctic is predicted to support more plant life which could offset rising emissions. However, in recent years improving knowledge and models of permafrost thawing suggest that its impacts might completely offset the benefits of more vegetation, leaving the role and net greenhouse gas contribution of the Arctic uncertain.

This has major implications for forecasts of climate change over the next century and beyond, and so it is important to quantify the potential impacts of permafrost thawing as accurately as possible. In order to do so, CYCLOPS scientists explore little-studied interactions between different types of vegetation and permafrost. Different ecosystems, such as tundra, peatland and forests, are likely to exhibit different rates of thawing and respond to it in different ways. Quantifying these differences is crucial so that permafrost thawing and its impacts may be represented more accurately in large-scale models.