Striking results from a new study by CSIRO, Australia, show that the plant carbon uptake in the Australia covers around a third of all carbon emissions from fossil fuels in the past twenty years.
The scientists, however, did not stop with this. They also noted that only between 2009 and 2010, the country has exported more than double the amount of carbon produced by burning of coal.
The findings were published in the latest issue of the journal Biogeosciences, and it is one of the 14 regional and continental studies around the world, part of the Regional Carbon Cycle Assessment and Processes (RECCAP).
The researches estimated the amount of land carbon that has been either gained or lost through plants and soil as carbon levels rise. This increase in concentrations were considered to be due to changing climate, increased effect of fires, erosion and deforestation.
The importance of these processes for domestic carbon management and international reporting protocols, is very high, hence why their choice for the study was justified.
The aim of the study was to determine the changes in carbon flows over the past two decades, and compare the results to data from the past 100 years.
According to Dr Vanessa Haverd, in warmer regions of the world, the increase in plant production through carbon dioxide fertilization is greater. In the case of Australia, because of increased carbon dioxide, the quantity of plant production has increased with around 15%.
The scientist adds that the data collected during the study could contribute towards better understanding of carbon storage and the responses to climate variability. This is particularly important since extreme droughts and floods are expected to increase in the coming years. In addition, such data could aid the quantification of the impact of fires on the net carbon balance.
The study also revealed that on average around 2.2 billion tones of carbon is taken up by plants over the past decade. Interestingly, the findings indicate that grassy vegetation is responsible for most of the carbon uptake, not forest habitats. In addition, the biosphere in the country has absorbed more carbon than the amount introduced by human activities. The final conclusion of the study is that carbon fertilization has caused an increase in the total amount of carbon uptake for the period 1990-2011.
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4027 total comments so far. What's your opinion ?
"biosphere in the country has absorbed more carbon than the amount introduced by human activities. The final conclusion of the study is that carbon fertilization has caused an increase in the total amount of carbon uptake for the period 1990-2011."
If and when we get around to actually doing the study to see how much carbon is processed in the carbon cycle and how much is actually removed by human activities the question will be why is the planet getting warmer? Well there are a lot of reasons the planet is getting warmer but the truth be known human activities are but a drop in the ocean. The climate is always in flux always changing and always on the move. Whats the saying? if you don't like the weather just wait it will change. Lets face it people we can no more stop climate change than we can stop the sun from rising.
The reason we are the dominant species on this planet is because we have adapted to climate change, we moved, we migrated we basically went where the food is. But now we can't move so we've decided to control climate change? What an arrogant species who over states their importance in the grand scheme of things simply to extort money out of other people.
