Polar Meltdown at the Royal Society

3 July 2007

The icy layer beneath the Arctic soil is thawing and wetlands are getting drier, releasing carbon dioxide (CO2) that has been captured and stored for thousands of years into the atmosphere.

How much CO2 and what effect it might have on the world's climate is currently being investigated by a team of scientists working in Abisko, Sweden, about 200km north of the Arctic Circle.

Dr Stephan Matthiesen, project manager of the ABACUS consortium (Arctic Biosphere Atmosphere Coupling at Multiple Scales), said, "We need to find out how much carbon will be released and how it will move through the Arctic ecosystem. Our team is carrying out a number of experiments to measure the carbon escaping from the soils and vegetation - for example, we are using 'branch bags' on trees to find out how much CO2 is coming from the branches. And we are using a specially equipped aircraft, a mobile isotope laboratory and satellite technology to help us to build an accurate picture of what is happening in the region."

The researchers have to face a daily two-hour trek, carrying equipment over mountainous terrain to reach the field site at Abisko.

The Arctic tundra covers vast areas of land across Siberia, Canada and Scandinavia so, globally, any changes could have a significant effect on the world's climate and landscape.

This research, funded by the Natural Environment Research Council, is just one of the many International Polar Year projects being undertaken by UK researchers to discover what is happening at the Poles. It is highlighted at the Royal Society's Summer Science Exhibition from 2-5 July.

Further information

For more information or to arrange interviews please contact:

NERC Press Office
Natural Environment Research Council
Polaris House, North Star Avenue
Swindon, SN2 1EU
Tel: 01793 411561
Mob: 07917 557215

Clare Kingston
Press Officer
The Royal Society
Tel: 020 7451 2508

Notes

1. Dr Matthiesen and colleagues Dr Mathew Williams and Dr Mathias Disney will be on hand to talk you through the issues and the research at the Natural Environment Research Council's "Polar Meltdown" exhibit at the Royal Society Summer Science Exhibition, 6-9 Carlton House Terrace, London SW1Y 5AG, which opened on Monday 2 July.

2. Other polar issues, including the release of greenhouse gases, the challenge of predicting rising sea-levels and how the Antarctic ice-sheet is responding to climate change, are all featured in the exhibit. Scientists from the British Antarctic Survey and the National Oceanography Centre, Southampton, will be presenting their research.

3. Hands-on/ interactive exhibits:

Melting ice-sculpture of an Antarctic penguin
Bubble tube to demonstrate what happens with methane gas hydrates
Tundra experiment to measure how much CO2 is released as the soils become dryer and warmer
'Reflectivity' - how different surfaces (eg snow) reflect light and what happens to the permafrost levels as snow melts and the land cover changes.
Antarctic model
Video and photographic images

4. Further information about NERC's exhibit is available:

Polar Meltdown: climate change in your lifetime (pdf 408Kb)

5. The Natural Environment Research Council funds world-class science in universities, and in our own research centres, that increases knowledge and understanding of the natural world. We are tackling the 21st century's major environmental issues such as climate change, biodiversity and natural hazards. We lead in providing independent research and training in the environmental sciences.

Press release: 24/07

Polar Meltdown at the Royal Society

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