Ecosystem Carbon-Cycle Feedbacks

As temperatures rise, thawing permafrost can expose stored carbon, while wetlands and inland waters can release more methane and wildfires can emit carbon from ecosystems.

Together, these processes create reinforcing feedbacks: warming prompts emissions that can contribute to further warming. A study published in Environmental Research Letters estimated that these sources could add 0.2–0.4°C of warming by 2100, with permafrost accounting for about half of the estimated emissions. The research also highlights how omitting or underrepresenting such feedbacks in climate models can affect warming projections, remaining carbon budgets, and assessments of the emissions cuts needed to limit warming.