Up, down or in? Where does our carbon go?
Over my tenure as part of the Green Options network, I’ve brought you – more often than not – the gloomy side of global warming. Of course, I would say that there is no good side, but I’m trying to be a bit lenient here. As Green Options undergoes some changes, I’ll be writing primarily here at Planet Save.
And that works well right now, considering that Inez Fung, a professor of atmospheric sciences and co-director of the University of California, Berkeley, Institute of the Environment, has provided a link that has hitherto been ignored.
I’ve brought you stories on increased carbon emissions, our oceans not absorbing enough, rising levels, etc. The problem is, that there is a link between all of these that is scary, and we’ve just sort of missed it.
Until recently, our lovely Earth has had two major carbon sinks. First of all, being made up of 70% water was a definite bonus. It would absorb the carbon, draw it down, and lock it away from the atmosphere. But as the waters have warmed, and there has been a lack of mixing between the upper warmer layer and the lower colder layer, the oceans ability to absorb carbon decreases.
The second problem that many may not be aware of is photosynthesis. And by “be aware of”, I mean, probably forgot from your primary school days. We all know that forests are massive carbon sinks, and with being trimmed back like a bad mullet and suffering from increasing drought across the planet, the amount that is absorbed through photosynthesis is also diminishing.
