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https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2024/oct/14/nature-carbon-sink-collapse-global-heating-models-emissions-targets-evidence-aoe>
"It begins each day at nightfall. As the light disappears, billions of
zooplankton, crustaceans and other marine organisms rise to the ocean surface
to feed on microscopic algae, returning to the depths at sunrise. The waste
from this frenzy – Earth’s largest migration of creatures – sinks to the ocean
floor, removing millions of tonnes of carbon from the atmosphere each year.
This activity is one of thousands of natural processes that regulate the
Earth’s climate. Together, the planet’s oceans, forests, soils and other
natural carbon sinks absorb about half of all human emissions.
But as the Earth heats up, scientists are increasingly concerned that those
crucial processes are breaking down.
In 2023, the hottest year ever recorded, preliminary findings by an
international team of researchers show the amount of carbon absorbed by land
has temporarily collapsed. The final result was that forest, plants and soil –
as a net category – absorbed almost no carbon.
There are warning signs at sea, too. Greenland’s glaciers and Arctic ice sheets
are melting faster than expected, which is disrupting the Gulf Stream ocean
current and slows the rate at which oceans absorb carbon. For the algae-eating
zooplankton, melting sea ice is exposing them to more sunlight – a shift
scientists say could keep them in the depths for longer, disrupting the
vertical migration that stores carbon on the ocean floor.
“We’re seeing cracks in the resilience of the Earth’s systems. We’re seeing
massive cracks on land – terrestrial ecosystems are losing their carbon store
and carbon uptake capacity, but the oceans are also showing signs of
instability,” Johan Rockström, director of the Potsdam Institute for Climate
Impact Research, told an event at New York Climate Week in September.
“Nature has so far balanced our abuse. This is coming to an end,” he said."
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
