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Health & Science3h 26m ago
A new study indicates that as permafrost thaws, intensified rock weathering in rivers can counteract CO₂ emissions, with carbon uptake sometimes exceeding emissions.
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Qinghai–Tibet Plateau, Sweden, China
Who
researchers from Umeå University and East China Normal University, Liwei Zhang, Jan Karlsson
What
A new study indicates that as permafrost thaws, intensified rock weathering in rivers can counteract CO₂ emissions, with carbon uptake sometimes exceeding emissions.
When
Wed, 17 Jun 2026 15:08:00 GMT · 3h 26m ago
Where
Qinghai–Tibet Plateau, Sweden, China ·
Why
Warming and permafrost degradation expose reactive minerals and increase water–rock interactions, accelerating chemical weathering that consumes CO₂.
The Frontline Impact
How this affects you
This discovery challenges the simplified view of thawing permafrost solely as a carbon source, suggesting a complex interaction between biological and geological carbon cycles that needs to be better represented in climate models.
Story chain
3 events in this thread- Health & Science3h 26m agoA new study found that as permafrost thaws, rivers develop a capacity to remove carbon dioxide (CO₂) through intensified rock weathering, which can partially or fully offset river CO₂ emissions.Open article
- Health & Science3h 26m agoA new study published in Nature shows that rock weathering increasingly counteracts river CO₂ emissions as permafrost degrades, revealing a more complex picture than permafrost solely being a greenhouse gas source.Open article
- Currently Reading3h 26m agoA new study indicates that as permafrost thaws, intensified rock weathering in rivers can counteract CO₂ emissions, with carbon uptake sometimes exceeding emissions.