I thought this was well known by scientists, that with rising temperatures the effectiveness of the carbon cycle drops. Besides, wasn’t it ocean phytoplankton the largest carbon sink, way more than forests?
The ocean in general is by far the largest carbon (and heat) sink. Some of that is from photosynthesis–about 70% of all the photosynthesis on the planet happens in the ocean --and some of it is just brute absorption of CO2. That system is showing signs of flagging also, as increased temperatures reduce water’s ability to hold CO2 and disruptions to thermohaline circulation hamper oceanic photosynthesis, but it was really land-based sinks that dramatically failed this year (partially because of all the wildfires).
Yeah but it’s concerning when plants who reliably use CO2 in a necessary function stop using carbon dioxide at the same level as before. Chloroplasts use the Calvin cycle and you can just look at an image and realize that carbon dioxide is vital to its reduction. So when this stops becoming effective this is the most likely result.
It’s not “plants are no longer photosynthesizing,” it’s “the sources of emissions have caught up to sinks,” largely thanks to changes in pest activity, soil respiration, and wildfires.
I thought this was well known by scientists, that with rising temperatures the effectiveness of the carbon cycle drops. Besides, wasn’t it ocean phytoplankton the largest carbon sink, way more than forests?
The ocean in general is by far the largest carbon (and heat) sink. Some of that is from photosynthesis–about 70% of all the photosynthesis on the planet happens in the ocean --and some of it is just brute absorption of CO2. That system is showing signs of flagging also, as increased temperatures reduce water’s ability to hold CO2 and disruptions to thermohaline circulation hamper oceanic photosynthesis, but it was really land-based sinks that dramatically failed this year (partially because of all the wildfires).
don’t worry, the deep sea mining operation is well underway
Yeah but it’s concerning when plants who reliably use CO2 in a necessary function stop using carbon dioxide at the same level as before. Chloroplasts use the Calvin cycle and you can just look at an image and realize that carbon dioxide is vital to its reduction. So when this stops becoming effective this is the most likely result.
It’s not “plants are no longer photosynthesizing,” it’s “the sources of emissions have caught up to sinks,” largely thanks to changes in pest activity, soil respiration, and wildfires.