Climate Change - Carbon sinks

This page presents notes on scientific published articles related to Carbon sinks.

Article: "Climatic Control of the High-Latitude Vegetation Greening Trend and Pinatubo Effect." Gradual lengthening of growing season in high northern latitudes has resulted in greening trend. Following Mount Pinatubo volcano eruption in 1991, trend was interrupted, producing increased carbon sink, contributing to slowdown in global rate of atmospheric carbon dioxide growth. Source: Science, Volume 296, Number 5573. Date: 2002 May 31

Article: "Permafrost and the Global Carbon Budget." Climate warming will thaw permafrost, releasing trapped carbon, about 100 gigatons. The Earth's atmosphere presently contains about 730 gigatons of carbon. Source: Science, Volume 312, Number 5780. Date: 2006 June 16

Article: "Ongoing Buildup of Refractory Organic Carbon in Boreal Soils During the Holocene." Turnover time of carbon in soil may be 10 times longer than previously assumed. Organic carbon continues to build up in soils since last glacial age. Source: Science, Volume 314, Number 5803. Date: 2006 November 24

Article: "The human footprint in the carbon cycle of temporate and boreal forests." Mankind, not nature, is controlling the carbon balance of termporate and boreal forests, through forest management and nitrogen deposition. Net forest carbon sequestration is overwhelmingly driven by nitrogen deposition, largely man-made. Source: Nature, Volume 447, Number 7146. Date: 2007 June 14

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Last updated: 2007 Nov 24.
Global Warming and Climate Change
Copyright (C) 2007 Ken Polsson (email: kpolsson@islandnet.com)
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