Measuring greenhouse gas emissions has traditionally relied on estimating emissions from all the activities and processes that might generate the gases, but Berkeley Lab scientists who instead took actual atmospheric measurements found that levels of nitrous oxide (N2O) may be up to 3 times greater than previous estimates. Their paper, “Seasonal variations in N2O emissions […]
Tag Archives | emissions
CO2 Rocketing, Carbon Sinks Failing
Man’s activities are releasing carbon dioxide faster than ever, while the natural processes that normally slow its build up in the atmosphere appear to be weakening, suggests a new study in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. The report states that “together, these effects characterize a carbon cycle that is generating stronger-than-expected climate […]
Plants’ Capacity To Soak Up Carbon Limited
Plants do much less than previously thought to soak up carbon dioxide, say Bruce Hungate of Northern Arizona University and Kees-Jan van Groenigen of the University of California Davis. Their paper, appearing in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, suggests that plants are limited in their capacity to clean up excess carbon dioxide […]