CSIC, Global Ecology Unit CREAF-CSIC-UAB, Bellaterra, Spain.
Published: September 2019
AI Article Synopsis
Article Abstract
Changes in terrestrial tropical carbon stocks have an important role in the global carbon budget. However, current observational tools do not allow accurate and large-scale monitoring of the spatial distribution and dynamics of carbon stocks. Here, we used low-frequency L-band passive microwave observations to compute a direct and spatially explicit quantification of annual aboveground carbon (AGC) fluxes and show that the tropical net AGC budget was approximately in balance during 2010 to 2017, the net budget being composed of gross losses of -2.86 PgC yr offset by gross gains of -2.97 PgC yr between continents. Large interannual and spatial fluctuations of tropical AGC were quantified during the wet 2011 La Niña year and throughout the extreme dry and warm 2015-2016 El Niño episode. These interannual fluctuations, controlled predominantly by semiarid biomes, were shown to be closely related to independent global atmospheric CO growth-rate anomalies (Pearson's r = 0.86), highlighting the pivotal role of tropical AGC in the global carbon budget.
Departamento de Ciencias de la Vida, Universidad de Alcalá, Facultad de Ciencias, Área de Ecología, Ctra. Madrid-Barcelona, km.33, 600, 28805, Alcalá de Henares, Madrid, Spain.
Climate change is one of the main challenges that human societies are currently facing. Given that forests represent major natural carbon sinks in terrestrial ecosystems, administrations worldwide are launching broad-scale programs to promote forests, including stands of non-native trees. Yet, non-native trees may have profound impacts on the functions and services of forest ecosystems, including the carbon cycle, as they may differ widely from native trees in structural and functional characteristics.
The direct CO2 reduction reaction (CO2RR) from simulated flue gas of various CO2 concentrations could minimize extra energy for pre-concentration processes to highly concentrated CO2 as a feed-stock. We investigate the challenges for CO2RR caused by low CO2 concentrations and provide strategies concerning the impact of the chosen electrocatalyst material and the selection of the electrolyte to attain high CO selectivity. We continuously feed CO2 mixed with N2 (the typical dilutant in flue gas) in various ratios to gas diffusion electrodes in a model flow-through electrolyzer.
Brazilian Biorenewables National Laboratory, National Center for Research in Energy and Materials (LNBR/CNPEM), Rua Giuseppe Máximo Scolfaro 10000, Polo II de Alta Tecnologia, Campinas, SP, 13083-100, Brazil; Center for Carbon Research in Tropical Agriculture (CCARBON), University of São Paulo, Piracicaba, SP, 13418-900, Brazil. Electronic address:
Soils under anthropic use in the Amazon region are often associated with soil carbon (C) stock losses. More recently, the restoration of degraded pastures and the introduction of integrated systems have changed this pattern, and soil C accumulation is often observed. This study evaluated an 11-year field experiment to quantify soil C changes and elucidate C stabilization mechanisms in areas under anthropic uses in the southern Amazon of Brazil.
This study investigates the impact of recent Artificial Intelligence (AI)-driven technological innovations on carbon prices across different quantiles, assessing the influence of AI stock prices on energy prices based on European carbon allowances while controlling for other macroeconomic factors. Using robust methods such as quantile-on-quantile regression, wavelet analysis, and transfer entropy, the research quantifies the information flow between the AI market and carbon allowances. Using daily data with four alternative AI stock prices from September 14, 2016, to December 29, 2023, the findings reveal a strong effect of AI returns on carbon prices, with significant fluctuations across price quantiles and consistent long-term average growth in market returns.
Icelandic native ecosystems and soils have been severely degraded since settlement in the 9th century. Today, barren landscapes occupy about 45 % of the land surface and only 1.5 % is covered by native birch woodlands versus 20-40 % in pre-settlement times.
