CO 2-RELEASE FROM PERMAFROST SOILS IN RELATION TO TEMPERATURE CHANGES

This paper will consider the influences of temperature on CO2-evolution not only from the perspective of a direct, causal relationship. It also looks for factors, which trigger soil respiration via their strong relation on temperature. Such effects often act at the cellular or sub-cellular level. The vast extension of permafrost in the northern hemisphere has great importance for the global carbon cycle. Permafrost regions have been identified as a main resource for carbon and thus for CO2-evolution, especially if climatic patterns in this area change drastically.