boreal forests

New figures circulating among climate observers put the Greenland Ice Sheet at 20% of a major assessment dataset, with abrupt permafrost thaw in boreal forests just below the Arctic at 0.7% and the North Atlantic subpolar gyre at 3.1%. Commenters note that potentially consequential climate risks tied to these systems remain hard to assess because relatively little scientific research covers them.

New research indicates that active forest management in boreal regions could significantly reduce the amount of carbon released into the atmosphere by wildfires. Boreal forests store vast amounts of carbon in trees and soils, and intensifying fire activity threatens to release it. Researchers suggest practices such as thinning and prescribed burns as ways to limit losses.