Xinhua: The thawing of permafrost in northern latitudes, which greatly increases microbial decomposition of carbon compounds in soil, will dominate other effects of warming in the region and could become a major force promoting the release of carbon dioxide and thus further warming, according to a new assessment in the Sept. issue of BioScience. The study, by an international team of researchers, more than doubles previous estimates of the amount of carbon stored in the permafrost: the new …