Subscribe free to our newsletters via your
. 24/7 Space News .




CLIMATE SCIENCE
Carbon stored in soils more vulnerable to climate change than expected
by Staff Writers
Exeter, UK (SPX) Sep 05, 2014


The findings suggest that warming will increase the activity of soil microbes to a greater extent than was previously expected, which could have implications for future rates of climate change.

The response of soil microbial communities to changes in temperature increases the potential for more carbon dioxide to be released from the world's soils as global temperatures rise, scientists have revealed.

The potential for global warming to stimulate decomposition rates in soils, and thus release large quantities of carbon dioxide to the atmosphere, has long been considered to be one of the potentially most important positive feedbacks to climate change.

However, the results from more recent studies have suggested that responses within microbial communities could greatly reduce, or even eliminate, the potential for soil carbon losses under global warming.

This key idea was tested using soils collected from a thermal gradient from the Arctic to the Amazon rainforest. The results, published in Nature, show that, contrary to expectations, microbial community responses resulted in an overall increase, rather than a decrease, in the effects of temperature on rates of carbon dioxide release from soils.

Dr Kristiina Karhu of the University of Helsinki, and lead author of the paper, said: "Because soils store more than twice as much carbon than the atmosphere, changes in rates of decomposition and carbon dioxide release from soil could be very important. Our findings suggest that warming will increase the activity of soil microbes to a greater extent than was previously expected, which could have implications for future rates of climate change."

Responses were not found to be equal in all soils, and differed between geographical regions and ecosystem types.

Managed agricultural soils stood out, being the only soils in which microbial community responses reduced the effects of a temperature change on rates of carbon dioxide release. On the other hand, the greatest stimulation was observed in the soils with the greatest carbon content and from boreal and arctic ecosystems, which are warming most rapidly. This indicates that the observed responses could increase the vulnerability of some of the world's most important soil carbon stocks to climate change.

Dr Iain Hartley, of the University of Exeter's College of Life and Environmental Sciences, added: "It is only relatively recently that we have recognised how important it is to understand soil microbial community responses to changes in temperature. Big advances have been made in recent years, and there are now models that simulate key microbial processes.

"We have a great opportunity to really advance this subject, and improve predictions of rates of carbon dioxide release from soils under global warming, but there is still a huge amount that we need to understand better."

.


Related Links
University of Exeter
Climate Science News - Modeling, Mitigation Adaptation






Comment on this article via your Facebook, Yahoo, AOL, Hotmail login.

Share this article via these popular social media networks
del.icio.usdel.icio.us DiggDigg RedditReddit GoogleGoogle








CLIMATE SCIENCE
U.N. climate envoy sees lack of leadership in climate debate
Apia, Samoa (UPI) Sep 2, 2014
U.N. Special Envoy for Climate Change Mary Robinson said Tuesday from the Pacific island of Samoa there was a general lack of low-carbon leadership. Robinson said during a summit on development in island nations world leaders aren't putting the necessary focus on climate issues. "Once you have a head of state focused, it becomes a holistic issue," she told the U.N. News Center. / ... read more


CLIMATE SCIENCE
China Aims for the Moon, Plans to Bring Back Lunar Soil

Electric Sparks May Alter Evolution of Lunar Soil

China to test recoverable moon orbiter

China to send orbiter to moon and back

CLIMATE SCIENCE
Opportunity Flash-Memory Reformat Planned

Memory Reformat Planned for Opportunity Mars Rover

Scientist uncovers red planet's climate history in unique meteorite

A Salty, Martian Meteorite Offers Clues to Habitability

CLIMATE SCIENCE
Aurora Season Has Started

Russian, US Scientists to Prepare Astronauts for Extreme Situations in Space

Russia's Space Geckos Die Due to Technical Glitch Two Days Before Landing

US to Stop Using Soyuz Spacecraft, Invest in Domestic Private Space Industry

CLIMATE SCIENCE
Same-beam VLBI Tech monitors Chang'E-3 movement on moon

China Sends Remote-Sensing Satellite into Orbit

More Tasks for China's Moon Mission

China's Circumlunar Spacecraft Unmasked

CLIMATE SCIENCE
3-D Printer Could Turn Space Station into 'Machine Shop'

Russia May Continue ISS Work Beyond 2020

Science and Departure Preps for Station Crew

NASA Awaits Boeing's Completion of Soyuz Replacement

CLIMATE SCIENCE
Sea Launch Takes Proactive Steps to Address Manifest Gap

SpaceX rocket explodes during test flight

Russian Cosmonauts Carry Out Science-Oriented Spacewalk Outside ISS

Optus 10 delivered to French Guiana for Ariane 5 Sept launch

CLIMATE SCIENCE
Orion Rocks! Pebble-Size Particles May Jump-Start Planet Formation

Rotation of Planets Influences Habitability

Planet-like object may have spent its youth as hot as a star

Young binary star system may form planets with weird and wild orbits

CLIMATE SCIENCE
Russia Considers Meteor Impact Prevention Project

Singapore launches world's first ZigBee inter-satellite comms system

Argonne scientists pioneer strategy for creating new materials

Mitsubishi Electric Ready to Deliver Himawari-8 to Tanegashima




The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2014 - Space Media Network. All websites are published in Australia and are solely subject to Australian law and governed by Fair Use principals for news reporting and research purposes. AFP, UPI and IANS news wire stories are copyright Agence France-Presse, United Press International and Indo-Asia News Service. ESA news reports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additional copyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. Advertising does not imply endorsement, agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by Space Media Network on any Web page published or hosted by Space Media Network. Privacy Statement All images and articles appearing on Space Media Network have been edited or digitally altered in some way. Any requests to remove copyright material will be acted upon in a timely and appropriate manner. Any attempt to extort money from Space Media Network will be ignored and reported to Australian Law Enforcement Agencies as a potential case of financial fraud involving the use of a telephonic carriage device or postal service.