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Health & Science4h 45m ago
A 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.
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Qinghai–Tibet Plateau
Who
researchers from Umeå University and East China Normal University, including Liwei Zhang and Jan Karlsson
What
A 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.
When
Wed, 17 Jun 2026 15:08:00 GMT · 4h 45m ago
Where
Qinghai–Tibet Plateau ·
Why
Warming and permafrost degradation expose reactive minerals and increase water–rock interactions, accelerating chemical weathering processes that consume CO₂.
The Frontline Impact
How this affects you
This discovery challenges the simplified view of thawing permafrost solely as a carbon source, suggesting that geological processes may partly counterbalance greenhouse gas emissions from biological sources, thus complicating climate change models and assessments.
Story chain
3 events in this thread- Currently Reading4h 45m 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.
- Health & Science4h 45m 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
- Health & Science4h 45m agoA new study indicates that as permafrost thaws, intensified rock weathering in rivers can counteract CO₂ emissions, with carbon uptake sometimes exceeding emissions.Open article