Siberian Permafrost Study: Deep Soil Methane Emissions May Be Double Previous Estimates

A 2025 study published in Nature Geoscience reveals that deep permafrost layers emit methane and carbon dioxide at rates similar to shallow layers. This finding suggests that current climate models may be significantly underestimating the amount of greenhouse gases released from the Arctic. Researchers discovered that rivers and lakes create thawing pathways into the frozen ground, releasing ancient carbon from depths previously thought to be stable. This discovery challenges the assumption that only surface-level thawing contributes to atmospheric warming.