Carbon cycling refers to the set of biogeochemical processes that regulate the transformation, transport, and storage of carbon among major Earth system reservoirs, including the atmosphere, terrestrial biosphere, oceans, and lithosphere. It encompasses autotrophic carbon fixation, heterotrophic respiration, decomposition, sedimentation, weathering, and anthropogenic fluxes such as fossil fuel combustion and land-use change. Research on carbon cycling quantifies fluxes and pool sizes, characterizes feedbacks between carbon reservoirs and climate, and employs observational networks, isotopic tracers, and Earth system models to constrain budgets, residence times, and perturbation responses across temporal scales from diurnal to geologic.
The ocean absorbs carbon from the atmosphere, but exactly how much is uncertain. For instance, estimates from the 2023 Global Carbon Budget ranged from 2.2 billion to 4 billion metric tons of carbon per year. One source of ...
Earth Sciences
Jul 8, 2025
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23
Researchers from the Nanjing Institute of Geology and Paleontology of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and Columbia University, along with their collaborators, have analyzed sediments from the terrestrial Sangonghe Formation ...
Planetary Sciences
Jul 2, 2025
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40
A global study has revealed that mineral-associated organic matter (MAOM) serves as the most stable long-term reservoir of carbon across diverse ecosystems, providing new insights into how carbon moves and stabilizes in soils.
Earth Sciences
Jun 27, 2025
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38
As atmospheric carbon dioxide levels continue to rise, the ocean plays a crucial role in helping to reduce the full impact of human-driven climate change by absorbing roughly a quarter of the carbon dioxide emitted by human ...
Environment
Jun 25, 2025
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33
New research from the University of California, Davis, the Chinese Academy of Sciences and Texas A&M University reveals that massive emissions, or burps, of carbon dioxide from natural Earth systems led to significant decreases ...
Earth Sciences
Jun 23, 2025
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101
Today, at the Living Planet Symposium, ESA revealed the first stunning images from its Biomass satellite mission—marking a major leap forward in our ability to understand how Earth's forests are changing and exactly how they ...
Planetary Sciences
Jun 23, 2025
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417
As Earth's largest carbon reservoir, the ocean locks carbon away from the atmosphere. However, scientists still struggle to measure and monitor exactly how much carbon is stored in the ocean, hindering efforts to model and ...
Earth Sciences
Jun 19, 2025
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145
In Europe, mountain areas account for about 36% of the total territory and are home to 16% of the population, but they are crucial for the continent as a whole. The availability of basic commodities, like water, depends on ...
Environment
Jun 18, 2025
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37
New research reveals the importance of winter sea ice in the year-to-year variability of the amount of atmospheric CO2 absorbed by a region of the Southern Ocean.
Earth Sciences
Jun 18, 2025
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33
A study has found New Zealand's native forests are absorbing more carbon dioxide (CO2) than previously thought. Study leader, NIWA atmospheric scientist Dr. Beata Bukosa says the findings could have implications for New Zealand's ...
Earth Sciences
Jun 17, 2025
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