From: De-Trois-Leaning <dtl@invalid.net>
Newsgroups: alt.home.repair,rec.food.cooking,sci.environment,alt.global-warming,can.politics,aus.politics
Subject: =?UTF-8?Q?Re:_Mars_Has_an_Unexpected_Influence_on_Earth=e2=80=99s?=
Date: Wed, 13 Nov 2024 11:15:34 -0700
Organization: A noiseless patient Spider
Ed P wrote:
> What is the reaction of burning 100 million tons of fuel today?
Increased albedo leading soon enough to global cooling, rapidly.
> What about all the trees cut down?
25% more vegetation exists as a direct complimentary partner to
increased C)2 production.
In essence the "green" Oxygen balance has improved.
https://science.nasa.gov/earth/climate-change/co2-is-making-earth-greenerfor-now/
A quarter to half of Earthâs vegetated lands has shown significant
greening over the last 35 years largely due to rising levels of
atmospheric carbon dioxide, according to a new study published in the
journal Nature Climate Change on April 25.
An international team of 32 authors from 24 institutions in eight
countries led the effort, which involved using satellite data from
NASAâs Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectrometer and the National Oceanic
and Atmospheric Administrationâs Advanced Very High Resolution
Radiometer instruments to help determine the leaf area index, or amount
of leaf cover, over the planetâs vegetated regions. The greening
represents an increase in leaves on plants and trees equivalent in area
to two times the continental United States.
Green leaves use energy from sunlight through photosynthesis to
chemically combine carbon dioxide drawn in from the air with water and
nutrients tapped from the ground to produce sugars, which are the main
source of food, fiber and fuel for life on Earth. Studies have shown
that increased concentrations of carbon dioxide increase photosynthesis,
spurring plant growth.
While rising carbon dioxide concentrations in the air can be beneficial
for plants, it is also the chief culprit of climate change. The gas,
which traps heat in Earthâs atmosphere, has been increasing since the
industrial age due to the burning of oil, gas, coal and wood for energy
and is continuing to reach concentrations not seen in at least 500,000
years. The impacts of climate change include global warming, rising sea
levels, melting glaciers and sea ice as well as more severe weather events.
Carbon dioxide fertilization isnât the only cause of the increased plant
growthânitrogen, land cover change and climate change by way of global
temperature, precipitation and sunlight changes all contribute to the
greening effect. To determine the extent of carbon dioxideâs
contribution, researchers ran the data for carbon dioxide and each of
the other variables in isolation through several computer models that
mimic the plant growth observed in the satellite data.
Results showed that carbon dioxide fertilization explains 70 percent of
the greening effect, said co-author Ranga Myneni, a professor in the
Department of Earth and Environment at Boston University. âThe second
most important driver is nitrogen, at 9 percent. So we see what an
outsized role CO2 plays in this process.â
About 85 percent of Earthâs ice-free lands is covered by vegetation. The
area covered by all the green leaves on Earth is equal to, on average,
32 percent of Earthâs total surface area â oceans, lands and permanent
ice sheets combined. The extent of the greening over the past 35 years
âhas the ability to fundamentally change the cycling of water and carbon
in the climate system,â said lead author Zaichun Zhu, a researcher from
Peking University, China, who did the first half of this study with
Myneni as a visiting scholar at Boston University.