Global Warming Could Multiply

W A S H I N G T O N,  Feb. 25 -- Global warming could multiply its effect by heating up the Arctic tundra.

A team at Ohio State University tested plots of Arctic tundra and found that raising temperatures by about 3.6 degrees Fahrenheit caused the tundra to release extra carbon dioxide.

Carbon dioxide is a key greenhouse gas, and releasing more of it would raise temperatures even more.

Significant Loss “We found significant losses of carbon dioxide from the soil of the tundra,” Michael Jones, who is researching evolution, ecology and organismal biology at Ohio State University, said in a statement.

“Anticipated global warming may increase this carbon loss.”

Writing in the journal Arctic and Alpine Research, Jones said his team worked on tundra at Toolik Lake in Alaska. They manipulated how much snow fell on each plot by setting up a large snow fence.

They used mini-fiberglass greenhouses to affect the temperature on each plot.

Jones said a slight increase of temperature on the tundra patch increased the carbon dioxide emissions by 26 to 38 percent under normal snowfall.

Reapidly Changing Climate But when they caused more snow to artificially fall on some plots — something that could happen with global warming — the carbon dioxide emissions increased 112 to 326 percent.

The arctic, which covers about one-fifth of the globe, contains nearly one-third of the earth’s stored soil carbon. This carbon is released when tiny plants and microorganisms in the soil breathe.

“The arctic has the most rapidly changing climate of any region on earth,” Jones said.

“We know there will be more snow accumulation with increasing winter temperatures,” he added.

Shortening the Growing Season “If the snow takes longer to melt, that shortens the growing season, and that may influence how much carbon dioxide is released.”

Last month, scientists reported that global warming could disrupt the balance of ocean-borne plankton. Diatoms could prevail over algae that absorb carbon—adding to a vicious cycle of global warming.