Global Carbon Cycle

Project from Richard Thomas' Plant Ecology class at West Virginia University. Carbon makes the skeleton of all life, and it continuously flows between the air, earth, water, and living beings.

Category:

Science & Technology

Tags:

• carbon cycle
• climate change
• global warming
• carbon dioxide
• CO2

[mlevy79]

Hitssquad, I just figured out why you post links the way you do. That's frustrating (youtube, not you).

"Older forests are net losers of carbon, younger ones store it" is false. Older forests tend to store more carbon, and in fact, after clearing, forests can remain a net source of carbon for up to thirty years. Eg., check out the article that comes up if you search for: Net CO2 and H2O Fluxes of Terrestrial Ecosystems

[hitssquad]

0:40 "forests are still being cleared for agriculture and development, and this releases carbon into the atmosphere"

How could clearing a forest - as opposed to burning or rotting it - release carbon into the atmosphere?

"and reduces the carbon-fixing capacity of forests."

If a forest is cleared and replanted, doesn't that *increase* its carbon fixing capacity?

google. com/search?q=replanted+forests­+carbon

"Older forests are net losers of carbon, younger ones store it."