Reduction in Arctic Sea Ice Alters Balance of Greenhouse Gases

The widespread reduction in Arctic sea ice is instigating major alterations to the balance of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere, reports Lund University.

According to researchers from the Lund University, the balance of greenhouse gases is altered both in terms of uptake and release due to the melting of sea ice in the Arctic. For this study, researchers analyzed the greenhouse gases in both the Tundra and in the Arctic Ocean.

"Changes in the balance of greenhouse gases can have major consequences because, globally, plants and the oceans absorb around half of the carbon dioxide that humans release into the air through the use of fossil fuels. If the Arctic component of this buffer changes, so will the amount of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere," Dr. Frans-Jan Parmentier, a researcher at Lund University, Sweden, said in a press statement.

The study was conducted in collaboration with researchers from Denmark, Greenland, Canada and the USA.

The normal procedure is where sunlight is reflected by the ice which is then sent into space, but when the sea ice melts, the amount of sunlight reflected is less. The sunlight is absorbed by the surface of the ocean and causes warming that raises the temperature of the air around the Arctic.

Dr. Parmentier explains that increase in temperature supports the growth of vegetation, which takes in more carbon dioxide. But rise in temperature also means an excessive release of carbon dioxide and methane from the soil. This definitely has a negative impact on the climate. Very little is known about how the melting of sea ice cover alters the balance of greenhouse gases in the sea.

The study has been published in the journal Nature Change.