Palsa permafrost mire near Noyabrsk, Western Siberia. A unique Siberian permafrost called yedoma which is a frozen tundric dust, deposited during the last glacial age, is rich in plant root and animal bone biomass with a carbon content 10 to 30 times higher than average deep soils. When organic matter decomposes in air, the gas produced escapes as carbon dioxide. However much of the Siberian yedoma lies at the bottom of thaw lakes, and when it decomposes under water, provides microbes with feedstock that produce methane. Photo: Franziska Tanneberger, International Mire Conservation Group (IMCG)
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