Carbon cycle in the Arctic

This schematic illustrates changes in the cycling of carbon in the Arctic as climate warms. For example, beginning at the left of the figure, the boreal forest absorbs CO2 from the atmosphere and this is expected to increase, although forest fires and insect damage will increase in some areas, releasing more carbon to the atmosphere. Increasing amounts of carbon will also move from the tundra to ponds, lakes, rivers, and the continental shelves in the form of carbon dissolved in water (dissolved organic carbon (DOC), dissolved inorganic carbon (DIC), and particulate organic carbon (POC)).

Source: ACIA Impacts of a Warming Arctic: Arctic Climate Impact Assessment  (2004),
 Key Finding #2, p.39