| ID: |
7868 |
| Ads Title: |
The Missing Carbon Sink |
| Expiry Date: |
2011.12.13 - Expired |
| Location: |
District of Columbia, United States |
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| Categories: |
1 - Reports and Research |
| Downloads: |
None |
| Description: |
Scientists study the carbon cycle in order to help predict future levels of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. Carbon dioxide is considered to be a primary cause of global warming, and predictions of future amounts may help scientists determine how much temperatures might rise and how the increase might affect other aspects of the Earth's climate. Approximately 7 billion tons of carbon is emitted annually from the burning of fossil fuels and other industrial activities. Of that, 3 billion tons remain in the atmosphere and 2 billion tons are absorbed by the oceans. Although scientists assumed that the remaining carbon was absorbed by the land (biomass), exactly how much and where remained a mystery until recently.
NASA conducted research using high-resolution maps of carbon storage to indicate that forests in the United States, Europe, and Russia stored nearly 700 million metric tons of carbon each year during the 1980s and 1990s. Possible reasons for why some forests store carbon include: an increased growing season due to climate warming in the north, fire suppression and forest re-growth in the United States, better forest management in Nordic countries, and an overall decline of harvesting in Russia.
Carbon found in the Northern Hemisphere sink accounts for 15 to 30 percent of annual global industrial carbon emissions. The country with the most forested land in the Northern Hemisphere ? Russia ? accounts for nearly 40 percent of the total biomass carbon sink. While most northern forests are found to be storing carbon, Canadian forests have been found to actually be losing carbon. Scientists believe that it is due to an increased incidence of both fires and infestations throughout the country.
Although most scientists believe they have found the 'missing carbon sink,' the discovery has also raised concerns. As warming continues to raise mean temperatures across the globe, there is a possibility that these forest sinks could turn into sources, releasing more carbon than they absorb and causing the overall biomass carbon sink to shrink in size. While resurgent forests soak up large amounts of carbon, as forests mature and die, the amount of carbon dioxide absorbed decreases. Additional research is currently being done to help determine how long the carbon sink might last and what can be done to prevent it from shrinking.
Scientists have also been working to create a replacement for a shrinking carbon sink. One possible solution being tested in China is the planting of new forests. The Chinese Government has planted tens of millions of acres since the 1970s, a plan that set out to control flooding and erosion but has had the additional benefit of soaking up nearly half a billion tons of carbon. A second possibility is to attempt to keep forests young since the younger the forests are, the more carbon they absorb. Regular forest thinning, where a certain amount of older wood is removed, has been suggested as a way of creating the space for new growth.
An ideal solution is to put the carbon back where it came from?into coal seams, old oil and gas fields, or deep, porous rock formations. This process, called geologic sequestration, is already being used in the North Sea. One particular field yields gas that is heavily contaminated with naturally occurring carbon dioxide which is filtered out and injected into a sandstone formation half a mile below the seafloor. In the United States, the U.S. Department of Energy is planning its own test project in West Virginia, drilling a 10,000 foot well in order to pump carbon dioxide into the deep rock. Although it is uncertain as to how these projects will fare in the long run, the North Sea project continues eight years later and has been effective in sealing 6 million tons of carbon dioxide to date. |
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