"One of the planet’s most vital #CarbonSinks i.e. SOUTHERN OCEAN (SO) (absorbs ~40% of C) is revealing its secrets as tiny organisms in the SO play an outsized role in moderating Earth’s #climate."
Details from the recent research are discussed in a🧵⬇️ 1/8
"Based on 107 independent observations of the seasonal cycle from 63 #biogeochemical profiling floats, new study conducted by scientists from #NOAA & University of Hawai'i provide the basin-scale estimate of distinct biogenic #CarbonPool production at Southern Ocean." 2/8
Researchers find "significant meridional variability with enhanced #ParticulateOrganicCarbon production in the subantarctic & polar Antarctic sectors & enhanced #DissolvedOrganicCarbon production in the subtropical & sea-ice-dominated sectors." 3/8
"#ParticulateInorganicCarbon production peaks between 47°S and 57°S near the “great calcite belt.” Relative to an abiotic Southern Ocean (SO), organic C production enhances CO2 uptake by 2.80 ± 0.28 Pg C y−1, while PIC production reduces CO2 uptake by 0.27 ± 0.21 Pg C y−1." 4/8
"Without organic C production, the SO would be a CO2 source to the atm. The findings of this study emphasize the importance of #DOC & #PIC production, in addition to the well-recognized role of #POC production, in shaping the influence of C export on air–sea CO2 exchange." 5/8
IN SIMPLE WORDS ⬇️
🌊 "Researchers discovered that if the amount of #carbon produced by tiny organisms in Southern Ocean decreased by 30%, the Southern Ocean would release carbon dioxide instead of #absorbing it, which could worsen the #GreenhouseEffect on our planet." 6/8
Read the open-access paper entitled: "Biogenic carbon pool production maintains the Southern Ocean carbon sink" here ⬇️ pnas.org/doi/10.1073/pn…
🚨A new study has revealed for the first time that ancient carbon, stored in landscapes for thousands of years or more, can find its way back to the atmosphere as CO₂ is released from the surfaces of rivers at a rate of 1.2 billion tonnes per year.
Details🧵1/8
2/ To understand the true source of river CO₂, researchers compiled a global dataset of 1,195 radiocarbon measurements of dissolved inorganic carbon (DIC), CO₂ & CH₄ from rivers & streams.
This let them determine whether the emitted carbon was modern—or much older.
3/ Using radiocarbon signatures (¹⁴C), they found that 59% of river CO₂ emissions come from "old" C—millennia-old soil carbon & even petrogenic carbon (rock-derived, >55,000 years old)
Only ~41% came from recent biological sources like plants & microbes (decadal carbon).
🚨A NEW study explores a theoretical #geoengineering approach to combat global warming — by altering Earth’s orbit.
Simulations suggest that shifting Earth ~5.8% farther from the Sun could cool the planet by roughly 7K, effectively offsetting projected warming.
DETAILS🧵1/10
2/ Climate models suggest global temperatures could rise by 7K by 2100, driven by greenhouse gas emissions.
This study asks: what if, instead of changing the atmosphere, we changed our position in space?
Specifically: increase Earth’s orbital radius.
3/ Basically, the paper builds on the science of Milankovitch cycles which is slow, natural variations in Earth’s orbit and tilt that have triggered past ice ages.
These cycles show that even slight orbital changes can dramatically affect climate.
CALL FOR RESEARCH PRESENTATION PROPOSAL—RFF and the Harvard Solar Geoengineering Research Program invite individuals to present research at their upcoming workshop