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Capturing CO2 in a bowl

Scientists have discovered a bowl-shaped molecule that can pull carbon dioxide out of the air, offering new possibilities for reducing greenhouse gas emissions. The molecule's unique properties make it suitable for industrial use in removing CO2 from ambient air and potentially even from living organisms.

SourceAmerican Chemical Society·JournalInorganic Chemistry·DateJul 15, 2009

Technological breakthrough in the fight to cut greenhouse gases

Scientists at Newcastle University have developed a highly energy-efficient technology to convert waste carbon dioxide (CO2) into cyclic carbonates, which can be used in various industrial applications. The technology has the potential to use up to 48 million tonnes of waste CO2 per year, reducing UK emissions by about four percent.

SourceNewcastle University·JournalEuropean Journal of Inorganic Chemistry·DateApr 24, 2008

Brown scientists say biodiversity is crucial to ecosystem productivity

A recent study by Brown University scientists found that higher plant diversity significantly enhances an ecosystem's productivity, capturing more carbon dioxide and reducing global warming. The researchers also discovered that the number of plant species in a natural environment has a positive correlation with ecosystem productivity.

SourceBrown University·JournalProceedings of the National Academy of Sciences·DateApr 24, 2008

Smithsonian receives $8M HSBC grant

The Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute will expand its research capability with a new Global Earth Observatory system, increasing the quality of scientific data across 20 large-scale research plots in 17 countries. The grant will enable the Center for Tropical Forest Science to compare climate change and forest carbon data.

AGU journal highlights -- August 1, 2006

Research papers explore the effects of glacier shrinkage on alpine uplift, challenge previous theories on the mantle transition zone, and use stratospheric oxygen/nitrogen ratios to constrain carbon uptake budgets by the biosphere and ocean. Mineral dust aerosol emission is also enhanced by electric forces.

SourceAmerican Geophysical Union·JournalGeophysical Research Letters·DateAug 1, 2006

NU researcher finds missing atmospheric carbon dioxide

A new study by Northeastern University researcher Kevin G. Harrison found that soil carbon levels increased by an average of 14% under elevated CO2 levels. This discovery has the potential to improve global warming forecast models, which have been hindered by slower-than-expected increases in atmospheric carbon dioxide.

SourceNortheastern University·JournalEarth Interactions·DateDec 1, 2004

Do US ecosystems balance US fossil fuel use?

Researchers modeled US ecosystem carbon budget using state-of-the-art data and models, finding small uptake of carbon despite high emissions. The results suggest that ecosystems in the US store carbon, but not enough to balance fossil fuel use, making other regions important for climate change mitigation.

SourceMax-Planck-Gesellschaft·JournalScience·DateMar 9, 2000

Oxygen may be cause of first snowball Earth

A Penn State researcher suggests that increasing oxygen levels may have triggered the first of three past episodes when the Earth became a giant snowball, covered from pole to pole by ice and frozen oceans. The study proposes that low methane levels and high carbon dioxide levels were responsible for the glaciation process.

Bomb fallout helps pinpoint soil carbon dioxide

A four-decade study of a Southeastern forest found that while trees take up substantial amounts of atmospheric carbon dioxide, the accumulation in soils is relatively slow. The researchers used radioactive Carbon-14 as a tracer to estimate carbon sequestration and found that only a small percentage of carbon was retained in topsoil, wi...

SourceDuke University·JournalNature·DateJul 1, 1999

Nitrogen And Global Warming

A recent study found that high levels of nitrogen deposition in grasslands lead to the loss of plant species diversity and the disruption of ecosystem functioning. Native prairie species are particularly vulnerable to the negative effects of excessive nitrogen addition, which can cause their extinction and reduce carbon storage.