Studies of Earth’s critical zone have largely focused on areas underlain by silicate bedrock, leaving gaps in our understanding of widespread and vital carbonate-dominated landscapes.
carbon cycle
Posted inResearch Spotlights
Minimal Evidence of Permafrost Carbon in Siberia’s Kolyma River
New research finds that Arctic rivers currently transport limited permafrost-derived dissolved organic carbon, which has implications for understanding the region’s changing carbon cycle—and its potential to accelerate climate change.
Posted inNews
Small Climate Changes Could Be Magnified by Natural Processes
A new study uses modeling techniques to uncover how small incidents of warming may be turned into hyperthermal events lasting thousands of years.
Posted inNews
Forest Recovery in the Amazon Is a Slow Process
For the first time, a study analyzes Amazon forest loss and recovery at national and subnational levels. One finding shows that new plantings offset less than 10% of emissions associated with deforestation.
Posted inResearch Spotlights
How Long Do Black Carbon Particles Linger in the Atmosphere?
Researchers uncover how black carbon evolves from hydrophobic particles to cloud nucleation sites, eventually removing the heat-absorbing particles from the sky.
Posted inResearch Spotlights
Does the Priming Effect Happen Underwater? It’s Complicated
A new meta-analysis finds evidence that adding fresh organic material can increase decomposition rates, but when and why that happens remain unclear.
Posted inNews
Desert Life Conjures Organic Carbon from Thin Air
Without water, photosynthesis shuts down. To survive dry spells, desert microbes scavenge traces of hydrogen from the air and burn it for energy. Some even use hydrogen to fuel carbon fixation.
Posted inEditors' Highlights
Permanence of Nature-Based Climate Solutions at Risk
Conserving native ecosystems helps sequester carbon and mitigate climate change, but new statistical modeling questions the permanence of California’s carbon-rich forests with climate change.
Posted inResearch Spotlights
El papel del fitoplancton de tamaño medio en la bomba biológica de la Tierra
Una nueva investigación revela que el nanoplancton podría tener una mayor influencia en el ciclo del carbono de lo que se pensaba.
Posted inResearch Spotlights
Una mirada global al carbono orgánico superficial del suelo
El carbono orgánico del suelo es un elemento importante para la salud de los ecosistemas y del clima. En la actualidad la teledetección permite a los científicos observar globalmente esta importante pieza del rompecabezas del carbono.