locate a recent peer reviewed article (preferably less than five years old and at least five pages long) related to an environmental issue. Please provide a brief review of the article (not the full review that you will write in your article critique) in

Columbia Southern University

Introduction

The article under critique is titled "Permafrost carbon-climate feedbacks accelerate global warming" it was presented at Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences in 2011. The article presents the results and implication of global warming on polar permafrost carbon dioxide levels.

The Earth is experiencing an unprecedented rise in temperature due to increased industrial activities. We are yet to understand fully the implication of global warming. The article written by (Koven, Ringeval, Friedlingstein, Ciais, & Cadule) analyses the impact of global warming on permafrost located on the Polar Regions, this permafrost acts as a carbon sink by absorbing enormous amounts of carbon dioxide from the air.

Statement of the research problem

The researchers in presenting this article noted that permafrost, a thick layer of soil that is perpetually frozen, contains enormous quantities of organic carbon; this carbon has the potential to act as a positive feedback loop to global climate change. Increased global warming warms the permafrost and increases its perspiration rate; the released carbon dioxide, in turn, causes the earth to become warmer and accelerates the permafrost perspiration rate. The researchers set out to establish the effect of global warming on polar permafrost. The research problem tackled is “how an increase in temperature affects the carbon perspiration rate of permafrost”.

Description of research procedures

The researchers used the ORCHIDEE simulator (Organizing Carbon and Hydrology in Dynamic Ecosystems) to simulate the global warming effect and the impact that it will have on permafrost. The simulator included inhibition of respiration in frozen soil layers, permafrost carbon dynamics, CH4 emissions from flooded areas and vertical mixing of soil carbon from the surface to permafrost layers. By manipulating values on the simulator, the researchers could observe the impact of global warming on permafrost and quantity it.

Flaws in the procedural design

A severe limitation of the research is that it only uses the data from a simulator. The researchers did not physically go to the Polar Regions and take the measurement of the permafrost perspiration rates and organic carbon levels. While the ORCHIDEE simulator is useful in modeling environmental conditions, it cannot fully supplant the results obtained from actual measurements. The use of the ORCHIDEE model allowed the researchers to test their hypothesis quickly without expending much finances and time. Given the gravity of the research problem, the research design should allocate enough time and resources to allow the researchers to verify the results.

Analysis of the data

The data from the ORCHIDEE model indicate that global warming impacts permafrost in subtle but significant ways. Under increased temperatures, the carbon dioxide locked up in permafrost finds its way to the atmosphere because of increased perspiration levels; this causes a loop where the released greenhouse gas leads to more warming which in turn increases the permafrost perspiration level.

Limited and justifiable conclusions

The researcher’s conclusion that polar permafrost will cease from being a carbon sink and become a source by 2100 was unwarranted. The researchers fell into the trap of sensationalizing their research results to draw more attention; this leads to half-measures intended to stop global warming which are not effective because they are founded on flawed conclusions. The researchers should aim to evaluate physically and measure the permafrost in the Polar Regions and have their research replicated by other researchers to justify the results and draw meaningful conclusions. Overall, the study was well conducted given the limitations, and it provides invaluable insight into the impact of global warming.

References Koven, Ringeval, Friedlingstein, Ciais, & Cadule. (2011). Permafrost carbon-climate feedbacks accelerate global warming. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, (pp. 108(36), 14769-14774.).