by Matteo Cavallito<\/p>\n
The thawing of Arctic permafrost<\/strong>, as is well known, reactivates soil microorganisms, leading to the release of carbon. This process, however, appears to follow dynamics that are far more complex than previously assumed, with important implications for climate change<\/strong> forecasting models. This is the conclusion of a study<\/a> carried out by an international team of scientists coordinated by researchers from Queen Mary University<\/strong> of London.<\/p>\n Published in the journal mSystems<\/em>, the research argues in particular that greenhouse gas emissions from Arctic soils are not driven solely by warming itself, but also by the types of microorganisms<\/strong> involved, their timing and their metabolic functions. Rising temperatures, in other words, may not rapidly and uniformly activate the entire microbial biomass trapped within frozen soils. Instead, they appear to trigger a selective biological awakening<\/strong>, gradual in nature and regulated by multiple ecological interactions.<\/p>\n