The research led by the University of Bristol, published in Nature, reveals for the first time that ancient carbon, stored in  soils and rocks for centuries to millennia,, can find its way back to the atmosphere as CO₂ released from the surfaces of rivers.

The study,  which analyzed over 700 river sites across 26 countries using radiocarbon dating, estimated that rivers emit about 2 gigatonnes of carbon annually, a substantial portion compared to human-driven emissions of 10–15 gigatonnes per year.

Source: Environmental News Network