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08 July 2010

Research Helps Predict Future Impact Of Climate Change

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A new study, involving academics at the University of Sheffield, has accurately measured for the first time the current carbon cycles in the world

The research will enable scientists to make more accurate predictions concerning the impact of climate change in the future.
The paper, which will be published in the journal Science, used large amounts of remote sensing, climate and carbon data from around the world to assess Gross Primary Production. This is the process which drives all plant growth, food production, eco-system services and fluxes of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere.

The new approach measures for the first term the quantity and uncertainty of this large annual flux in carbon dioxide, from the atmosphere into plants, at 123 plus or minus 8 billion tonnes per year.

The research also highlighted that uptake of carbon dioxide is most pronounced in the planet's tropical forests, which are responsible for 34% of the inhalation of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. In addition, savannahs account for 26% of the global uptake, although they also occupy almost twice as much surface area as tropical forests.

It was also found that precipitation plays a significant role in determining the gross global carbon dioxide uptake on more than 40% of vegetated lands, a discovery that stresses the importance of water availability for food security.

(TerraDaily)

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