Rising temperatures are linked to a decrease in carbon dioxide (CO2) absorption by tropical forests, according to a 50-year study published last week. Greenhouse gases, such as CO2, contribute to global warming, sea level rises and extreme weather events, previous studies have shown. Forests absorb CO2 during photosynthesis and release it during respiration. The new NASA-lead study, conducted with the CSIRO and published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, builds on a growing body of evidence that suggests global warming will accelerate as time goes by......... The signals they see are a good way to test climate models that include an interactive carbon cycle. Also, their findings help explain the well-known, natural, year-to-year variations in the rate of carbon dioxide buildup, and in so doing, they increase the likelihood that global warming in the future will cause more of the carbon dioxide now stored in tropical plants and soils to go into the atmosphere......
Posted on: Fri, 02 Aug 2013 17:17:34 +0000