Microbes that have been suspended in permafrost for up to 40,000 years could "reawaken" and start churning out greenhouse gases if Arctic summers grow much longer, new research suggests.
Under future climate conditions, microbes that have been dormant since the last ice age (2.6 million to 11,700 years ago) may only need a few months to reactivate, according to a study published Sept. 23 in the Journal of Geophysical Research: Geosciences. If they do so for even a part of the year, scientists warn this could trigger a feedback loop that would accelerate permafrost thaw and global warming.
