As Carbon Emissions Climb, So Too Has Earth's Capacity to Remove CO2 from Atmosphere

New research confirms that as carbon emissions continue to climb, so too has the Earth's capacity to absorb carbon dioxide from the atmosphere.

A new paper, co-authored by Woods Hole Research Center Senior Scientist Richard A. Houghton, entitled, "Audit of the global carbon budget: estimate errors and their impact on uptake uncertainty," was published in the journal Biogeosciences.  The paper confirms that as carbon emissions continue to climb, so too has Earth's capacity to absorb carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. About half of the emissions of CO2 each year remain in the atmosphere; the other half is taken up by the ecosystems on land and the oceans.

For Dr. Houghton, "There is no question that land and oceans have, for at least the last five and half decades, been taking up about half of the carbon emitted each year.  The outstanding question is, Why?  Most of the processes responsible for that uptake would be expected to slow down as Earth warms, but we haven't seen it yet.  Since the emissions today are three times higher than they were in the 1960s, this increased uptake by land and ocean is not only surprising; it's good news.  Without it, the concentration of CO2 in the atmosphere would be twice what it is, and climate change would be much farther along.  But, there's no guarantee that it will continue."

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