What is the difference between modern changes in global climate and earlier changes in global climate before the Industrial Revolution ?
Respiration 2 by vegetation and soil organisms in natural ecosystems releases ten times as much carbon dioxide annually than the burning of fossil fuels or forests. The net effect of both on atmospheric carbon dioxide levels is the same, but respiration by natural ecosystems is a far more complex phenomena than industrial emissions. Natural and agricultural ecosystems contain plants that can absorb carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, slowing the rate of carbon dioxide buildup in the atmosphere. Increased carbon dioxide levels and warmer temperatures may actually increase the efficiency of carbon dioxide removal (photosynthesis 3), but scientists cannot accurately predict the pattern of warming or the effect on rainfall which means they cannot predict the sequestration of carbon by ecosystems. Scientists know even less about the storage and release of carbon in humus and the effects of climate changes on soil respiration.
Related Questions
- What is the difference between modern changes in global climate and earlier changes in global climate before the Industrial Revolution ?
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