Nature Communications (Sep 2018)

Deglacial mobilization of pre-aged terrestrial carbon from degrading permafrost

  • Maria Winterfeld,
  • Gesine Mollenhauer,
  • Wolf Dummann,
  • Peter Köhler,
  • Lester Lembke-Jene,
  • Vera D. Meyer,
  • Jens Hefter,
  • Cameron McIntyre,
  • Lukas Wacker,
  • Ulla Kokfelt,
  • Ralf Tiedemann

DOI
https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-018-06080-w
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 9, no. 1
pp. 1 – 12

Abstract

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Permafrost-derived carbon (C) may have been an additional source of greenhouse gases during the last glacial-interglacial transition. Here the authors show that ancient C from degrading permafrost was mobilised during phases of rapid sea-level rise, partially explaining changes in atmospheric CO2 and ∆14C.