http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2015-09/lu-mas091715.php

Public Release: 17-Sep-2015
Melting Arctic sea ice accelerates methane emissions
Lund University

Methane emissions from Arctic tundra increase when sea ice melts, according to a new study from Lund University in Sweden. This connection has been suspected before, but has lacked strong evidence until now.

"Changes in the Arctic Ocean can affect ecosystems located far away on land, " says Dr. Frans-Jan Parmentier, the study's lead author and researcher at the Department of Physical Geography and Ecosystem Science, Lund University.

Bright sea ice reflects most sunlight, while open water absorbs most sunlight. Less sea ice, therefore, leads to more absorbed heat, and higher temperatures throughout the North Pole region. This stimulates the production of methane by microorganisms in permafrost soils, which also drives the change towards a warmer climate.

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"Sea ice decline is one of the most visible consequences of climate change, and has a tremendous impact on the Arctic climate. Since the 1990's, the Arctic has been losing sea ice at a tremendous rate - about 14 percent per decade. The expectation is that with further sea ice decline, temperatures in the Arctic will continue to rise, and so will methane emissions from northern wetlands", says Frans-Jan Parmentier.

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