For over 150 years, humans have released massive amounts of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere, increasing its concentration by 50%. A significant portion of this excess carbon is absorbed by oceans and plants during photosynthesis. However, a new study from Caltech reveals that most of this stored carbon remains in “nonliving pools” like soils and sediments, rather than in living matter.
This discovery challenges previous assumptions about the long-term storage of carbon on land. The research, led by Woody Fischer and Christian Frankenberg, found that carbon in nonliving reservoirs stays sequestered for significantly longer periods, ranging from 10 to 100 times as long as it would in plants.
According to Yinon Bar-On’s study, which analyzed time-series data from 1992 to 2021, the planet is effectively taking up excess carbon emissions. The stored carbon remains in nonliving pools due to their slower decomposition rates, allowing it to stay out of the atmosphere for extended periods.
The study’s findings have implications for climate change policies and decision-making surrounding land use. Human activities can impact the land sink, with activities like burial of organic waste seeming to be an important sink for CO2. However, this process may also generate methane, which has a stronger warming effect than carbon dioxide.
Understanding where excess carbon is stored on land is crucial for developing effective strategies to mitigate climate change. The research highlights the importance of nonliving pools in storing carbon and suggests that policies should focus on preserving these reservoirs rather than relying solely on plant growth or tree expansion.
Source: https://www.caltech.edu/about/news/how-the-planet-stores-our-excess-carbon-emissions