Water & Carbon

• What has been the cryosphere's historical significance for the carbon cycle?

  • has been an inert store for thousands of years
  • meaning that the carbon stored in ice and permafrost was locked away, not actively cycling into the atmosphere
  • it was a stable store not emitting carbon dioxide or methane
  • now, melting permafrost allows microbial activity to resume and greenhouse gases are released from respiration and decomposition