Tag

Biomass

All articles tagged with #biomass

science1 month ago•11 min saved

By 2020, human-made mass surpassed Earth's total living matter

A 2020 Nature study found that the total weight of human-made materials—dominated by concrete, bricks, asphalt, metals, and plastics—caught up with and roughly equaled the mass of all living matter on Earth, around 1.1 teratonnes in use, with plastics weighing about twice the mass of all animals. The crossover hinges on accounting choices (e.g., whether rock and soil moved to make materials are counted) and highlights humanity’s outsized planetary footprint, not a moral judgment.

via Space Daily|

#anthropocene #biomass #built-environment

science1 month ago•11 min saved

Tiny on the scales: all wild land mammals weigh about 20 million tonnes, far less than humans and livestock

A 2023 study estimates the total wet biomass of all wild land mammals at about 20 million tonnes (roughly 3 kg per person), which is far smaller than humanity’s ~390 million tonnes and well below the combined weight of livestock (~630 million tonnes). The weight is concentrated in a few species—white-tailed deer, wild boar, and African elephants—with bats representing the majority of individuals but only a small fraction of total weight. The figure is uncertain and should be read as a ratio illustrating humans’ dominance and livestock impact, not a full biodiversity assessment.

via Space Daily|

#biodiversity #biomass #conservation

science4 months ago•12 min saved

Ants: 20 Quadrillion Individuals, Biomass Roughly One-Fifth of Humans and Larger Than Birds and Mammals

A 2022 PNAS-derived estimate puts Earth's ant population at about 20 quadrillion (2×10¹⁶), yielding roughly 12 megatons of dry carbon in biomass (about 24 Mt total when including other elements), or about one-fifth of human biomass. Even with this conservative figure, ants outweigh the combined biomass of all wild birds and wild mammals and underscore their outsized ecological role, while providing a global baseline for future insect abundance and biodiversity research.

via Space Daily|

#ants #biomass #ecology

space5 months ago•2 min saved

Biomass Celebrates One Year in Orbit with Striking Global Forest Insights

ESA’s Biomass marks its first year in orbit, delivering P-band polarimetric SAR data that penetrates dense forests to quantify woody biomass, improving estimates of forest carbon stocks and enabling open access data since January, with images spanning the Amazon, Arctic and other landscapes.

via European Space Agency|

#biomass #earthobservation #esa

science8 months ago•4 min saved

Biomass satellites frees its data stream to illuminate global forest carbon

ESA’s Biomass, a P-band radar satellite launched in 2025, has completed commissioning and now offers free, public access to its data to map forest structure and carbon storage. The mission begins with an 18-month global tomographic coverage, followed by multiple nine-month interferometric coverages to monitor forest change over time, with an airborne calibration campaign in Gabon aiding data validation and calibration. The effort aims to reduce uncertainties in global forest carbon stocks and support climate science and forest management.

via European Space Agency|

#biomass #esa #forest-carbon

science2 years ago•2 min saved

"Uncovering Ancient Biomass Clues with High-Resolution Techniques"

Researchers using high-resolution techniques have analyzed 3.5 billion-year-old rocks from the Pilbara Craton in Western Australia, revealing new clues about the formation and composition of ancient biomass. The study provides insights into the earliest ecosystems on Earth and suggests that original traces of the first organisms can still be found in extremely old material. The research, published in Precambrian Research, utilized methods such as nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy and near-edge X-ray Absorption Fine Structure to analyze carbonaceous particles, shedding light on the history of their deposition and origin.

via Phys.org|

#ancient-earth #biomass #high-resolution-techniques

climate-change3 years ago•4 min saved

"Revolutionary Carbon Storage Method Discovered in Black Sea's Depths"

Researchers at Israel-based company Rewind have developed a new method of carbon storage by taking plants and biomass that have absorbed high concentrations of carbon dioxide and sinking them to the bottom of the Black Sea. Inspired by nature's ability to capture carbon, the researchers aim to achieve a net-negative effect by preserving the balance of carbon released when the plants decompose. The Black Sea's lack of oxygen creates an ideal preservation environment, preventing the carbon from reentering the atmosphere. This innovative approach could potentially remove 1 billion tonnes of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere per year, contributing to global climate change mitigation efforts.

via ABC News|

#biomass #black-sea #carbon-capture

science3 years ago•2 min saved

Uncovering the Mathematical Patterns in Human Cells

Researchers have conducted a comprehensive study on the number and size of cells in the human body, finding that each size category contributes roughly the same amount to the body's mass. The study suggests a natural balancing act between cell size and count, indicating the existence of cell-size homeostasis across cell types. The findings highlight the importance of cell regulation for maintaining health and normal growth, and the data from the analysis is now available online for further research.

via ScienceAlert|

#biomass #cell-count #cell-size

environment3 years ago•7 min saved

"Mississippi Community Fights Pollution from U.K. Energy Giant"

Residents of Gloster, Mississippi, a majority-Black, low-income community, have been battling with U.K.-based energy company Drax Group over concerns about pollution from its wood pellet production plant. The community has demanded action from Drax, including installing air quality monitors and complying with noise ordinances. However, scheduled meetings with the company have been canceled. Wood pellets, used as an alternative to fossil fuels, have faced scrutiny for their carbon emissions. Drax's Gloster facility has been accused of violating air pollution regulations, and the company has faced fines in Mississippi and Louisiana. Environmental justice advocates argue that the plant perpetuates "environmental racism." The Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality has issued a notice of violation to Drax, alleging that the plant exceeded air pollution limits. Local residents have reported noticeable impacts on air quality and health.

via NBC News|

#air-quality #biomass #drax-group

science3 years ago•4 min saved

Beyond Earth: Searching for a Superior Planet.

Scientists argue that it is possible for there to be planets more habitable than Earth, known as "superhabitable" planets. These planets could have a K-class star, which offers a less harsh radiation environment and a longer lifespan. Environmental factors such as the distribution of land and ocean, age, and size could also contribute to a planet's habitability. However, Earth's vast biosphere and biodiversity suggest that it is very close to the optimum for supporting life.

via Big Think|

#biomass #earth #habitability

science3 years ago•3 min saved

"Study reveals surprising distribution of Earth's biomass among smallest and largest creatures"

Scientists have spent five years classifying the size, mass and population of all living organisms, and at the end they made a surprising discovery — that the tiniest and largest living entities on Earth dominate by sheer mass. Forest plants had the highest biomass and amphibians had the lowest, according to their findings. The investigation also yielded that this pattern held across different types of species, and was even more evident in terrestrial creatures than marine dwellers. The study not only reveals how Earth's biomass is currently distributed, but also what the future may look like.

via Livescience.com|

#animals #bacteria #biomass

science3 years ago•4 min saved

"New Discovery Reveals Surprising Size of Earth's Biomass"

Earth's biomass is concentrated in organisms at either end of the size spectrum, according to new research from the University of British Columbia. The study challenges current theories that predict biomass would be spread evenly across all body sizes. The findings have important implications for predicting the effects and impacts of climate change, as body size governs global and local processes, including the rate at which carbon gets sequestered and how the function and stability of ecosystems might be affected by the composition of living things.

via SciTechDaily|

#biomass #climate-change #earth