Fjords Combat Climate Change by Storing Carbon Emissions

A recent report published in Nature Geoscience has revealed that fjords plays a major role in keeping carbon emissions in check.

Fjords have the ability to store large quantities of carbon and are usually found in Alaska all the way up to Norway in the Northern hemisphere and in New Zealand as well down south.

They soak up massive amounts of carbon that is being washed off the land from the rivers.

Fords are considered to be deep narrow estuaries carved out by glaciers and can be found along coast valleys in high altitude places.

Fjords are so good at absorbing carbon because they are very deep and their calm waters are often oxygen deprived. These waters enable the fjords to quickly obtain the carbon before any bacteria is able to get to it and break it down.

Even as fjords are found in only 0.1 percent of the world's ocean surface, they are responsible for absorbing and burying up to 18 million tons of organic carbon every year, which roughly translates to 11 percent of the total organic carbon buried each year in organic marine sediments like plants, rocks and soil.

Scientist Richard Keil after reading the study said, "Despite being small, fjords are mighty."

Co-author Dr. Candida Savage, with New Zealand's University of Otago however considers fjords to be only a temporary solution. She believes the stored carbon might get pushed out when the glaciers start advancing due to the continued effects of climate change.