Permafrost: a ticking carbon time bombIn Sweden's far north, permafrost beneath the Stordalen mire is thousands of years old. Between carbon dioxide (CO2) and methane, permafrost contains some 1,700 billion tonnes of organic carbon, almost twice the amount of carbon already present in the atmosphere. Thawing permafrost is a carbon "time bomb", scientists have warned. In Alaska, where permafrost is found beneath nearly 85 percent of the land, thawing permafrost is causing roads to warp. Many climate models currently don't take permafrost into account because it is difficult to project the net effects of the permafrost thawing, Hugelius says.
