Permafrost carbon feedback
= Permafrost carbon feedback
Thawing <permafrost> makes previously frozen organic matter available for decomposition, releasing <carbon dioxide> and, in waterlogged oxygen-poor conditions, <methane>. These <greenhouse gases> amplify warming, which can cause further thaw. The amount reaching the atmosphere depends on decomposition, transport and oxidation; this feedback does not imply an inevitable abrupt release of an entire carbon reservoir.