According to the assigned reading "Why the Arctic is smoldering," how could warming in the Arctic dramatically increase carbon dioxide in Earth's atmosphere?
A. As the Arctic becomes warmer, caribou will continue to die. As their carcasses build up, decomposition of their bodies leads to the release of tremendous quantities of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere.
B. As the Arctic becomes warmer, vegetation there will grow more slowly, leading to less oxygen production by plants, which in turn will cause a change in plant metabolism that leads to more carbon dioxide production to compensate for less oxygen production.
C. As the Arctic becomes warmer, permafrost will melt, leading to increased microbial growth and decomposition, releasing into the atmosphere carbon that is stored in layers of permafrost.
D. As the Arctic becomes warmer, the human population in the region will grow, increasing the amount of fossil fuels being used by industries there and releasing massive amounts of carbon dioxide.
E. As the Arctic becomes warmer, ice will melt. As ice melts, carbon dioxide trapped as bubbles in the ice will be released into the atmosphere.