Monday, April 10, 2017

Carbon Dioxide Consumption By Plants

New article in Nature about changes in how much carbon dioxide is being taken from the atmosphere by plants.  Essentially it says that the amount being pulled out of the atmosphere has increased substantially in the 20th century.  How this affects the global warming models is uncertain, but a reminder of how uncertain the models for global warming really are.

Now, plant consumption doesn't much affect how consumption fossil fuels change CO2 balance.  However, increased use may reflect increasing CO2 levels in the atmosphere.  How much of this increase in CO2 in the atmosphere will just make us a "greenhouse" not just in heat, but also luxuriant plant growth, pulling more CO2 out.

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