Latest news with #SueNatali
Yahoo
31-01-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
The Arctic Has Long Been a Carbon-Capture Giant, but That's Starting to Change
The world is adept at balancing the warming gases in its atmosphere, but anthropogenic climate change is challenging this balance. A new study reports that 34 percent of the Arctic-boreal zone (ABZ) is actually releasing more carbon than its storing, and that number climbs to 40 percent when considering wildfires. While this once again presses the importance of cutting back emissions, it's also important for climate modeling to not necessarily rely on these carbon sink systems to perform as they have in the past. For thousands of years, the Earth's done a pretty good job at regulating the delicate balance of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. Massive oceans, sprawling rainforests, and frozen permafrost in the Arctic-boreal zone (ABZ) all play their part in maintaining a healthy global ecosystem. But with the introduction of anthropogenic carbon emissions (courtesy of everything from the Industrial Revolution to present), that delicate balance has been thrown into chaos, and some of these previous natural allies are no longer as reliable as they used to be. Previous research has already shown that the Amazon Rainforest is already releasing a concerning amount of carbon into the atmosphere and that the ocean's carbon sink is also weakening. Now, a new study, published in the journal Nature Climate Change, is concerningly adding the ABZ to this sad company. An international team of researchers, led by the Woodwell Climate Research Center, pored over decades of data provided by a growing climate library called 'ABC Flux.' Gathered from carbon flux monitoring towers and chambers, this data essentially captures the respiration of the Arctic by tracing what gasses are being exchanged, or 'breathed,' in and out. It isn't good news. 'While we found many northern ecosystems are still acting as carbon dioxide sinks, source regions and fires are now canceling out much of that net uptake and reversing long-standing trends,' Woodwell Climate's Anna Virkkala, the lead author of the study, said in a press statement. The team found that 34 percent of the ABZ, which includes the wetlands, boreal forests, and treeless tundra, is now a source of carbon rather than a sink. If emissions from wildfires were added to the mix, that percentage rose to 40. A greening Arctic also doesn't translate to net gains when it comes to carbon sequestration primarily through the loss of carbon through permafrost thaw. The study estimates that while nearly half of the ABZ experienced some level of greening, only 12 percent recorded an uptake of carbon dioxide. Thankfully, this study brings more than just bad news, because due to its impressive resolution, scientists are able to accurately pinpoint where these carbon-producing regions are cropping up. 'The high resolution of these data means that we can now see how variable the Arctic is when it comes to carbon,' Woodwell Climate's Sue Natali, a co-author on the study, said in a press statement. 'And now we have the capability to track and map carbon processes at a spatial resolution that can reveal what's happening on the ground.' This will be vital for climate scientists to understand just how big the threat is, especially as previous models relied on carbon sinks in the rainforests, oceans, and polar regions to continue acting the same. Sadly, as this study only confirms, we may not be able to rely on our oldest carbon sink allies. You Might Also Like The Do's and Don'ts of Using Painter's Tape The Best Portable BBQ Grills for Cooking Anywhere Can a Smart Watch Prolong Your Life?
Yahoo
28-01-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
A Vast Swathe of The Arctic Has Turned Into a Carbon Emitter
Large swathes of one of Earth's largest carbon sinks are now emitting rather than capturing CO2. More than a third of the Arctic-Boreal Zone (ABZ) – including the tundra, forests, and wetlands around the Arctic Circle – is pushing out carbon rather than sucking it up, according to new research from an international team, led by scientists at the Woodwell Climate Research Center in Massachusetts. The same reversal is happening in parts of the Amazon Rainforest, too. While the ABZ as a whole is still considered a carbon sink – as it has been for millennia – rising global temperatures are putting some key regions at risk, and detailed monitoring is needed to understand how those places are faring. "While we found many northern ecosystems are still acting as carbon dioxide sinks, source regions and fires are now canceling out much of that net uptake and reversing long-standing trends," says ecologist Anna Virkkala, from Woodwell Climate. That fire element is crucial: the researchers found that wildfires are becoming more frequent and impactful in the ABZ. The stats show that when wildfires are considered, 40 percent of the ABZ gave off more CO2 than it absorbed between 2001 and 2020, compared to just 34 percent when wildfires weren't included. Those numbers are based on high-resolution data, carefully compiled from 200 carbon monitoring stations, known as the ABC Flux network, plus additional field measurements, meteorological information, and computer modeling. The results change across the seasons. During summer, the ABZ's carbon sink is most influential, with greener vegetation and more photosynthesis taking place. In winter, however, unusually warm temperatures are increasing the amount of soil and organic matter exposed to the air, which means a greater release of CO2 than is typical. "That variability isn't surprising because the Arctic isn't one single place – it's a massive area with diverse ecosystems and climatic conditions," says ecologist Sue Natali, from Woodwell Climate. "And now we have the capability to track and map carbon processes at a spatial resolution that can reveal what's happening on the ground." Across the study period of 1990 to 2020, the researchers found the ABZ became more of a carbon sink, not less, on average. That seems like good news, but hotspots of variability – particularly in tundra regions – are trending the other way (as previous research has shown). Nearly half of the carbon stored in soil on the planet is thought to be in this region. To plot how our planet is changing, we need to know how these parts of the ABZ are breathing in and out across the year – and how a warmer, greener Arctic might contribute to global atmospheric changes. "Highly collaborative efforts like this are critical for understanding how shifting seasonal dynamics and disturbance patterns can have regional and even global impacts," says ecologist Marguerite Mauritz, from the University of Texas-El Paso. The research has been published in Nature Climate Change. Our Relationship With Fire Is Creating The Burning Equivalent of an Ice Age AI Combed Millions of Images of The Arctic. It Found an Alarming Pattern. Dumping Seawater on LA Fires Is an Experiment Scientists Are Closely Watching
