Articles tagged with Carbon Cycle
A new study found that even as oak trees continue to photosynthesize late into the year, their growth stops by mid-summer. This decoupling between photosynthesis and growth suggests that increased carbon uptake may not translate to greater wood production, reducing long-term carbon storage in forests.
Long-term biochar study reveals that topsoil benefits from biochar's effect on microbial necromass carbon, with significant increase in fungal necromass carbon. In contrast, subsoil shows reduced microbial necromass carbon due to lower nitrogen availability and increased microbial nutrient mining.
A new international study challenges long-held beliefs about how ecosystems absorb carbon under global warming. Plants are using water more efficiently while developing larger canopies to absorb light and fix carbon, making this the dominant factor in determining carbon dioxide uptake.
Two University of Utah-led studies aim to improve biomass mapping to better understand how Arctic and boreal forests respond to climate change. The new maps, built using satellite imagery and field measurements, capture 40 years of ecological change in unprecedented detail.
Researchers argue that biochar's long-term carbon storage potential and its soil improvement benefits should not be conflated. The authors call for a 'designer biochar' approach, tailoring products to specific end uses rather than marketing them as universally beneficial.
Research suggests a symbiotic relationship between fish and their gut microbes produces minerals influencing ocean chemistry and the marine carbon cycle. The study found vibrio bacteria play a key role in ichthyocarbonate formation, which is linked to global nutrient cycles.
The study reveals coral reefs' significant carbon sequestration potential and how reef-dwelling fish contribute to the carbon cycle. Reef sediments dominate carbon storage, with fish influencing sediment carbon reservoirs through bioerosion and respiration.
A new study reveals that soil carbon residence time governs riverine dissolved organic matter's age, with climate, hydrology, and soil processes controlling carbon cycling in rivers. The research provides a high-resolution global atlas of riverine DOC, showing that ancient carbon sources are locally important but modern terrestrial org...
A study led by Chinese Academy of Sciences reveals climate change leads to unprecedented sensitivity of soil inorganic carbon pools. Climate-driven effects on SIC dynamics are quantified using a novel process-based model, showing significant losses of up to 307 Tg C in topsoil.
A recent study by Chinese researchers has quantified lake carbon dioxide emissions in China, finding a significant increase of 24% over the past two decades. The study highlights the importance of high-resolution monitoring to refine lake carbon budgets and inform effective climate mitigation policies.
Scientists found that habitable planets must have sufficient water to support a geologic carbon cycle, which stabilizes surface temperatures. Arid planets in the habitable zone are unlikely to be good candidates for life due to carbon cycle disruption, which can lead to runaway warming.
A research team found that enhanced silicate weathering contributed to CO2 drawdown and the onset of the Late Paleozoic Ice Age, reducing atmospheric CO2 levels by approximately 800 ppm. This process also boosted marine nutrient supply and productivity, leading to the observed shifts in carbon isotopes.
The webinar highlighted the potential of combining NFI field data, EO disturbance products, and national statistics for robust forest carbon monitoring. Continental-scale carbon balance analysis showed a trend towards neutral over the past decade, with large interannual variability.
A new field study reveals that biochar significantly increases microbial necromass carbon in topsoil by up to 39%, linked to improved nutrient availability and microbial efficiency. However, in subsoil layers, biochar reduces microbial necromass carbon by as much as 30% due to nutrient limitations.
A recent study reveals that Alaskan permafrost is thawing rapidly, leading to increased runoff, carbon releases, and altered coastal ecosystems. The research focused on a Wisconsin-sized area of Alaska's North Slope, simulating daily river flows and coastal exports over 44 years.
A new study highlights the critical misunderstanding of biochar's role in fighting climate change and improving soils, warning that oversimplified claims could undermine scientific progress and carbon markets. Biochar is not a one-size-fits-all solution, and its effectiveness depends on where it is used.
A global analysis reveals that microbial communities play a decisive role in determining biochar's carbon storage potential. Biochar increases soil organic carbon by an average of 52.4%, but its effectiveness varies depending on the composition of soil microbial communities and environmental conditions.
Cerrado wetlands in Brazil's savannas are carbon storage powerhouses, storing an estimated 20% of Amazon's carbon. The peaty soils of these wetlands store about 1,200 metric tons of carbon per hectare, equivalent to six times the average carbon density of Amazon rainforest soils.
A new study reveals that deep-sea microbes like Nitrosopumilus maritimus can adapt to warmer, nutrient-poor waters, maintaining their role in nitrogen cycling and primary production. This finding suggests that these microbes may play an important role in reshaping ocean-nutrient distribution in a changing climate.
Researchers developed a low-cost method to transform agricultural waste into high-quality biochar, increasing its ability to store carbon and combat climate change. The new method uses limewater treatment to improve biochar production, resulting in a 34% increase in carbon retention and improved soil structure and chemistry.
A growing body of research suggests that microplastics in soils can alter microbial genes controlling essential ecosystem functions, potentially affecting food production, climate processes, and environmental health. Microplastics also enhance the spread of antibiotic resistance genes in soil ecosystems.
A new study suggests that applying biochar to rewetted peatlands can improve long-term carbon storage while reducing the need for highly stable biochars. Rewetting peatlands slows decomposition and helps prevent carbon loss, allowing more of biochar's carbon to remain stored over time.
Researchers reveal that seafloor weathering may be responsible for the discrepancy in Snowball Earth event durations, with faster rates linked to longer glaciations. This finding has significant implications for predicting future climate change.
Researchers found that fungi recycle mycelium based on two clear strategies: wasteful and frugal. The 'wasteful' group leaves behind inactive mycelium, while the 'frugal' group quickly recycles nutrients to preserve them and reduce losses to other organisms. This discovery provides new insights into the carbon cycle and climate.
A groundbreaking field-based research study from Nankai University found the average carbon emission of dismantling a single unit of E-waste increased from 1.2513 kgCO2 to 1.3335 kgCO2 between 2013 and 2020, highlighting the urgent need for more efficient recycling technologies.
A new study finds that soil salinization influences inorganic carbon storage, particularly in regions with elevated salinity. The research reveals a conditional relationship between salinity and inorganic carbon, highlighting the need to incorporate soil chemical processes into global carbon assessments.
The North Atlantic's ocean ventilation has weakened, with water masses aging significantly faster than 30 years ago. This decline in ventilation indicates a slower renewal of deep waters and reduced oxygen transport to depths, potentially impacting marine ecosystems.
Researchers found that biochar can soften the impacts of swings between wet and dry conditions on soil organic carbon breakdown. The study showed that stronger moisture variability speeds up decomposition and boosts microbial activity, but biochar addition helped stabilize the soil system under variable moisture conditions.
A new international study discovers that combining biochar with straw can reduce carbon emissions, boost soil health, and encourage microbes to work together. The research bridges Moscow and Guangzhou, delivering one of the clearest pictures yet of how organic amendments shape the hidden world beneath our feet.
A new study has found that the ocean's ability to absorb CO2 is stronger than previously assumed, with air bubbles playing a key role in this process. The research suggests that the ocean absorbed around 0.3-0.4 petagrams more carbon per year, about 15% more than previous estimates.
A new study reveals that maize roots can absorb CO2 from the soil atmosphere, contributing to plant biomass and challenging traditional views on carbon balances in croplands. The root system plays an active role in regulating carbon flows between soil, plants, and the atmosphere.
New research reveals biochar's impact on autotrophic soil microbes that fix carbon dioxide through the Calvin cycle. In paddy soils, these microbes are active capturing carbon dioxide, while in upland soils, microbial biomass and labile carbon pools play a larger role.
A new study reveals that microbialites in South Africa are thriving, growing up to 2 inches vertically every year. They absorb carbon day and night through metabolic processes, making them one of the most efficient biological mechanisms for long-term carbon storage observed in nature.
Researchers at Colorado State University found that some tropical forest plants are adapting to drought by growing longer root systems, potentially helping reduce vulnerability. The study's findings suggest flexibility under drying conditions may rescue the forest, but long-term implications remain uncertain.
Researchers found that warming temperatures may actually reduce nitrogen gas emissions from forest soils in dry conditions, contradicting earlier predictions. The study's findings suggest that moisture levels, not just heat, play a crucial role in determining the fate of nitrogen in forests.
Researchers found upper ocean ecosystem conditions play a major role in shaping the composition of carbon-rich particles sinking into the deep ocean, storing carbon for decades. Microorganisms influence these transformations, which determine how long this carbon is locked away.
The 2025 Global Carbon Budget projects a record high of 38.1 billion tonnes of fossil CO2 emissions, with decarbonisation efforts not enough to offset growing energy demand. Climate change is weakening the land and ocean carbon sinks, reducing the remaining carbon budget to limit global warming to 1.5°C.
Researchers discovered that tiny diatom skeletons transform into clay minerals in just 40 days, rapidly shaping ocean chemistry. This process, known as reverse weathering, influences carbon dioxide levels, nutrient recycling, and marine ecosystems.
A team of researchers from LMU München investigated why CO2 fluxes from land use are uncertain and how they can be estimated more accurately in the future. They found that differences in definitions, data sources, and model assumptions lead to substantial discrepancies and uncertainties.
A new study reveals that many Western river networks in arid areas may be soaking up more carbon dioxide than they emit, challenging the long-held assumption of net emissions. This finding has significant implications for understanding the global carbon cycle and managing CO2 levels.
Researchers analyzed two marine-based carbon removal methods, ocean iron fertilization (OIF) and artificial ocean alkalinization (AOA), for their impacts on the climate system. OIF enhances marine carbon sinks by adding iron, increasing photosynthesis and absorbing CO2 from the atmosphere, but exacerbates deep-ocean acidification.
A new study found that different types of char can raise or lower greenhouse gas emissions from northern soils. Biochar tends to increase nitrous oxide emissions, while hydrochar suppresses it and even turns the soil into a small sink.
Researchers found that plant roots can actively absorb CO₂ from the soil, with this process influenced by light, fertilizer, and atmospheric conditions. Root-based CO₂ absorption may be an alternative carbon nutrition pathway.
Climate models oversimplify the role of calcifying plankton in capturing and cycling carbon, potentially underestimating the ocean's capacity to respond to climate change. Ignoring these organisms' diversity risks oversimplifying how the ocean responds to climate stressors.
Researchers found that biochar improves soil health by increasing microbial diversity, capturing carbon, and enhancing nutrient cycling. Biochar acts as a long-lasting carbon sink, storing carbon for hundreds to thousands of years.
A new study found that marine heatwaves impact the base of ocean food webs, changing carbon cycling in the process. However, the effects of the two heatwaves were not consistent, with one causing a 'conveyor belt' to jam and increasing the risk of carbon returning to the atmosphere.
A new study suggests that the Earth's carbon cycle can overcorrect and plunge the planet into an ice age if greenhouse gas emissions continue to rise. The researchers found that in a warmer world with enhanced algae growth, the oceans lose oxygen, leading to a feedback loop that consumes more carbon.
Researchers analyzed sediment cores to find a recurring 60-year cycle in carbon and silicon burial, showing human intervention led to changes in estuary ecosystems. Human activities like dam construction reduced organic matter delivery, while increased water clarity promoted algal growth.
A new type of biochar, phosphorus/iron-doped biochar, has been developed to address both problems at once—immobilizing toxic cadmium in soil while helping trap carbon. The study found that it significantly reduced cadmium mobility and improved carbon retention in the soil.
Researchers at UC Riverside discovered a carbon burial process in the ocean that can cause Earth's temperature to overshoot and cool down, potentially triggering an ice age. The study suggests that the planet's thermostat is not functioning as expected due to changes in atmospheric oxygen levels.
Hanqin Tian, Boston College Professor and Director of the Center for Earth System Science and Global Sustainability, has been honored with the 2025 AGU Bert Bolin Award. His research has fundamentally advanced understanding of biogeochemical cycles and their roles in the climate system.
A global alliance of microbiology organizations has unveiled a joint strategy to integrate microbial science into climate policy, innovation and public discourse. The strategy aims to recognize microbes as vital allies in the fight against climate change and chart a clear course for microbiology organizations to lead by example.
Researchers found that repeated freeze-thaw cycles can damage biochar and release heavy metals such as zinc, copper, and lead. Biochar made at higher production temperatures were more vulnerable to cracking and oxidation during freeze-thaw stress.
A new study found that land and ocean weathering processes are linked, influencing the amount of carbon stored or released into the atmosphere. The research proposes a continuum approach to studying weathering reactions on both land and in the ocean.
A new study by the University of Gothenburg suggests that thawing permafrost played a significant role in raising carbon dioxide levels after the last ice age. Researchers estimate that this carbon exchange may have accounted for almost half of the rising CO2 levels.
A new study finds that natural areas around the globe acquire less nitrogen than previously estimated, which could reduce their capacity to store carbon and mitigate climate change. The rise in agricultural nitrogen fixation may also contribute to land degradation, air pollution, and water quality issues.
A new study projects significant ocean acidification around Hawaiian Islands within the next three decades, posing challenges to coral reefs and other marine organisms. Researchers found varying levels of acidity across different island regions, with windward coastlines exhibiting higher novelty in future conditions.
A team of researchers developed a molecular probe that detects sugar consumption in microbes, revealing the role of microorganisms in breaking down ocean sugars. The study provides new insights into glycan cycling across ecosystems and sheds light on the global carbon cycle.
New research claims adding lime to agricultural soils can remove CO2 from the atmosphere, rather than cause emissions. The study, based on over 100 years of data, shows that the addition of acidity is the main driver for CO2 emissions from soils.