Temperature sensitivity of the mineral permafrost feedback at the continental scale.

ABSTRACT: Oxidative weathering of sulfide minerals in sedimentary rocks releases carbon dioxide (CO₂) into the atmosphere. In permafrost zones, this could be a positive feedback on climate change if it increases with warming, yet sulfide oxidation rates and their temperature response remain unknown over large spatial and temporal scales. We analyze a 60-year sulfate concentration dataset from catchments across the Mackenzie River Basin. Sulfate fluxes increased by 45% in the mainstem with 2.3°C of warming, and the temperature sensitivity suggests that continental-scale CO₂ fluxes could double by 2100. The largest increases occur in catchments with geomorphic settings which act to rapidly expose rocks through physical weathering and thermokarst processes. Comparisons with a weat

SUBMITTER: Walsh EV 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11463311 | biostudies-literature | 2024 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature