greenhouse

Human-induced warming has averaged 1.14°C over the past decade, a disturbing trend exacerbated by the emission of a record level of greenhouse gases each year, equivalent to 54 billion tonnes of carbon dioxide. Concurrently, the remaining carbon budget – the amount of carbon dioxide that can be released into the atmosphere while still having a better than 50% chance of limiting global warming to 1.5°C – has significantly diminished, halving over the past three years. To combat this lack of awareness, leading scientists…

Credit: Lawrence Wee/Shutterstock Greenhouse gas emissions are at an all-time high, with yearly emissions equivalent to 54 billion tons of carbon dioxide. Humanity has caused surface temperatures to warm by 1.14°C since the late 1800s—and this warming is increasing at an unprecedented rate of over 0.2°C per decade. The highest temperatures recorded over land (what climate scientists refer to as maximum land surface…

Fjords are coastal systems that act similar to the ocean. They take up large amounts of CO2 from the atmosphere. Some fjords emit also N2O and small amounts of CH4. On balance, fjords are a greenhouse gas sink. Credit: Dong Zhang on UnsplashCoastal ecosystems, ranging from mangroves to fjords, have the ability to absorb or release greenhouse gases. However, on a global scale, these ecosystems are a vital sink.International researchers, led by Australia’s Southern Cross University, have revealed in a recent study that…

Fjords are coastal systems that act similar to the ocean. They take up large amounts of CO2 from the atmosphere. Some fjords emit also N2O and small amounts of CH4. On balance, fjords are a greenhouse gas sink. Credit: Dong Zhang on Unsplash A new greenhouse gas budget shows coastal ecosystems globally are a net greenhouse gas sink for carbon dioxide (CO2) but emissions of methane (CH4) and nitrous oxide (N2O) counteract some…

Rivers, lakes, and other inland waters are an underappreciated source of natural greenhouse gas emissions. Credit: U.S. National Park Service, Public Domain In a new pair of studies, a global team of scientists reassessed greenhouse gas emissions stemming from rivers, streams, lakes, and reservoirs. The studies update previous estimates of greenhouse gas emissions from inland water sources at a global scale.…

A piece of the drilled permafrost core extracted during drilling operations on the New Siberian Islands in the North of eastern Siberia. Credit: Lutz Schirrmeister, Alfred Wegener Institute About a quarter of the organic carbon contained in ice-rich Arctic permafrost is more difficult for microorganisms to utilize. The reason for this is a strong binding of the organic material originating from dead plant remains to mineral…

TROPOMI methane emission estimates for the 61 urban areas and 14 regional sources included in the study. Circle areas are proportional to emission estimates in 1000 metric tons per year (ktpy). Color shows emissions per capita by decile. Number of sites shown in legend parentheses. Credit: Environmental Research Letters (2023). DOI: 10.1088/1748-9326/acc118 Research published in Environmental Research Letters has shown that…

Wetlands provide fresh water and habitat, and wetlands altogether contain about a third of the world's carbon. Credit: Jia Gensuo Wetlands occupy about 6% of the Earth's surface but store one-third of global soil organic carbon. Increasing evidence shows that climate warming is altering the function and service of wetland ecosystems. However, whether climate warming will stimulate wetlands to release more greenhouse gases…

Mean CH4 (a) and CO2 (b) emissions from the aquatic areas of Skogaryd Research Catchment (SRC) showing higher emissions from localized areas in streams and lakes. Note the variable rates of CH4 emissions between the lakes and within the lakes. White areas in lakes and streams denote areas not studied. The background map of SRC was obtained from Lantmäteriet (National Land Survey of Sweden). Credit: Limnology and Oceanography Letters (2023). DOI:…

Credit: University de Liege A new scientific study by researchers from the University of Liège (Belgium) shows that rivers in the Andean mountains contribute 35% and 72% of riverine emissions of carbon dioxide (CO2 ) and methane (CH4 ) in the Amazon basin, the world's largest river. This study is published in the journal Communications Earth & Environment. …