All articles tagged with #co2
Researchers studying the Paleocene–Eocene Thermal Maximum (~56 million years ago) show a rapid CO2 rise caused 5–9°C warming and a forest collapse: initial canopy gains were followed by a 61% drop in leaf-area index, fern-dominated landscapes, and long-lasting reduction in carbon storage, illustrating how heat can override CO2 fertilization—an alarming parallel for today’s warming forests.
Six-year CO2 enrichment around 180-year-old English oaks shows trees grew more wood by tapping additional soil nitrogen through a root-microbe partnership: elevated CO2 raised usable soil nitrogen by about 29%, trees absorbed extra nitrogen, and soil released almost what the trees used, indicating a faster but tighter nitrogen cycle and lower nitrous oxide emissions; while this hints at greater carbon storage in forests, nitrogen reserves are finite and the overall soil carbon balance remains uncertain, with results published in Science Advances.
An open‑access study using U.S. health data (1999–2020) finds that rising atmospheric CO2—from about 300 ppm to over 420 ppm and rising ~2 ppm/year—coincides with about a 7% rise in blood bicarbonate, and declines in calcium and phosphorus, the minerals involved in buffering CO2. While the link is correlational and measurement methods varied, authors warn that humans evolved under stable CO2 levels and may be stressed by current changes, potentially pushing buffering chemistry toward unhealthy ranges by around 2076–2100.
Mosquito bites aren’t random: people with blood type O, higher CO2 and lactic-acid output, warmer skin, darker clothing, or higher metabolism (from exercise, pregnancy, or alcohol) attract more bites. To prevent bites, avoid peak times (sunrise and sunset), cover exposed skin, and use effective repellents such as 5% DEET; keep a fan on to disrupt airflow indoors, and citronella lacks solid evidence. If bitten, apply cold packs, hydrocortisone, or non-drowsy antihistamines to ease itch.
A new study using 29 climate models projects Earth’s plant life could persist for roughly 1.3–1.9 billion years as the Sun brightens and atmospheric CO2 declines, with CAM photosynthesis plants (like cacti and orchids) potentially lasting the longest. Under weak weathering CAM plants survive to about 1.87 billion years, under strong weathering about 1.35 billion years, and using CAM as a survivability threshold raises that to roughly 1.84–1.87 billion years. The end of Earth’s biosphere would coincide with the oceans being lost to space as the Sun brightens, while the Sun’s eventual Red Giant phase is ~5 billion years away. The authors note limitations (they only assessed current photosynthesis pathways) and call for broader 3-D modeling to better constrain these timescales.
A study in the Journal of Geophysical Research: Atmospheres uses 3D climate models to project Earth's vegetative biosphere over the next 2 billion years. It finds the last plant could linger about 1.84–1.87 billion years from now as the Sun brightens; under a strong CO2-weathering cycle, CO2 drops and plants die around 1.84 billion years, while in a weak-weathering scenario temperatures rise to about 65°C, pushing land plants to extinction about 1.87 billion years out. The researchers caution that evolution or human tech could extend plant survival beyond these limits, and the simulations do not account for future plant adaptation or geoengineering possibilities.} } }**Note: There is an extraneous closing tokens at the end due to formatting; correct JSON would end after the closing brace.** However, in this response, the essential fields are provided.** (If you’d like, I can present the strictly formatted JSON payload.)**}
A 3D climate-model study projects that Earth's vegetative biosphere could persist for about 1.84–1.87 billion years as the Sun brightens. Depending on how the carbonate-silicate weathering cycle responds to warming, CO2 may steadily drop and starve plants (strong weathering) or temperatures could climb to around 65°C (weak weathering), placing the maximum plant lifetime at roughly 1.87 billion years. The researchers note that evolution, future technology, or geoengineering could extend this, potentially making the biosphere’s lifetime similar to the duration of Earth’s oceans.
A Nature study across 50 rivers on China's Qinghai–Tibet Plateau shows that thawing permafrost accelerates rock weathering, which consumes atmospheric CO2 and can offset or even exceed river CO2 emissions in some catchments, suggesting geological processes may partly counterbalance thaw-induced carbon release.
A Nature Geoscience study shows rising CO2 makes the stratosphere more efficient at radiating infrared heat into space, causing cooling of the upper atmosphere (about 2°C since the mid-1980s), with faster cooling higher up near the stratopause. Researchers describe a 'Goldilocks zone' of infrared wavelengths that drive this cooling, while ozone and water vapor play smaller roles. If CO2 doubles, stratospheric temperatures near the stratopause may drop roughly 8°C, highlighting a key, quantifiable climate fingerprint and its implications for Earth's energy balance and exoplanet atmospheres.
Europe-wide researchers drilled a 2.8-km Antarctic ice core to produce the longest continuous climate record, about 1.2 million years, showing atmospheric CO2 closely tracking global temperatures across repeated cycles and offering new clues to why ice ages intensified during the Mid-Pleistocene transition. The Beyond EPICA findings—presented at the European Geosciences Union meeting—are early results, not yet peer‑reviewed, with more data to come from the ancient air bubbles trapped in the ice.
Mosquitoes aren’t equally attracted to everyone: factors like blood type (Type O vs A), CO2 output, lactic acid, body heat, and even clothing color can make some people more likely to be bitten. To prevent bites, avoid peak mosquito times (dawn/dusk), cover exposed skin, use a 5% DEET repellent for about 90 minutes of protection, and keep air moving with a fan. Citronella lacks solid evidence; if bitten, treat with ice, hydrocortisone, or non-drowsy antihistamines.
New shallow Allan Hills blue-ice cores extend greenhouse-gas records to about 3.1–0.5 million years ago. They show mean CH4 changing little over the period, with CO2 falling by ~20 ppm from 2.9 to 1.2 Ma and then staying stable within ±10 ppm through the mid‑Pleistocene Transition; respiration-corrected samples from 2.8–3.1 Ma yield CO2 of 250 ± 10 ppm, indistinguishable from the early Pleistocene. These results suggest long‑term stability of atmospheric CO2 and CH4 and demonstrate that ice-core gas measurements can be extended into the late Pliocene, providing snapshots of climate during a era of global cooling.
Decades of satellite observations show Earth's vegetation forms a moving balance point across continents and seasons, with the global center of greenery migrating northeast as climate change and higher CO2 reshape growing conditions. The shift is dominated by Northern Hemisphere vegetation, has accelerated since 2010, and is linked to longer growing seasons and land management in reliable water regions, while drought and heat can still slow growth. Researchers suggest tracking this moving center could help explain planetary vegetation patterns and improve climate and land-use models.
The piece contrasts ancient Earth, where warming occurred over millions of years with high CO2 levels allowing life to adapt, with today’s rapid ~1°C increase in two centuries due to fossil-fuel emissions, a pace that outstrips ecosystems and infrastructure. While dinosaurs ultimately faced mass extinction after a sudden, asteroid-triggered climate disruption, the article argues that the current rapid change poses a distinct and escalating risk to human health, economies, and environments.
Peter Brannen's book argues that CO2, often vilified for its role in climate change, is actually fundamental to the development of life and human civilization, offering a comprehensive history from origins to modern issues.