Research report 2018 - Max Planck Institute for Biogeochemistry
Water, ice and snow: Driving forces of climate change in the Arctic
Authors
Dr. Mathias Göckede
Departments
Arbeitsgruppe Skalenübergreifende Messung und Modellierung von Austauschprozessen zwischen Erdoberfläche und Atmosphäre, Max-Planck-Institut für Biogeochemie, Jena
Summary
How stable carbon will remain in the Arctic permafrost in the future, instead of escaping into the atmosphere as a greenhouse gas, is of utmost importance for the global climate. Water, ice and snow play an important role here. Our field research in Siberia uses new data and models to explain how the redistribution of water and increased snow cover, two known consequences of current climate change, can further destabilize the carbon pools in the Arctic. Our results help to assess the role of the Arctic in global climate change more reliably.