Carbon flux, in the context of biogeochemical topics, denotes the rate at which carbon in its various chemical forms (e.g., CO₂, CH₄, dissolved inorganic and organic carbon, particulate organic carbon) is transferred per unit area and time between reservoirs such as the atmosphere, terrestrial biosphere, oceans, and lithosphere. It encompasses processes including photosynthetic uptake, respiration, decomposition, combustion, weathering, ocean–atmosphere gas exchange, and sedimentation. Quantification of carbon fluxes, typically in units like g C m⁻² yr⁻¹, is central to constraining carbon budgets, modeling the global carbon cycle, and assessing feedbacks in climate system research.
Adding crushed calcium carbonate—limestone—to agricultural fields can remove tons of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere each year while improving crop yields, a Yale-led study published in Nature Water found.
Ecology
Aug 7, 2025
0
292
USC scientists are exploring how the sandy seafloor off the Southern California coast takes up CO2 and helps protect the long-term health of our oceans.
Environment
Aug 7, 2025
0
17
The population of one species of coral in the main island of the Alcatrazes Archipelago Wildlife Refuge (REVIS), located off the southern coast of the state of São Paulo, Brazil, retains about 20 tons of carbon per year. ...
Environment
Aug 5, 2025
0
20
Forests play a central role in the global carbon cycle as trees store carbon in their trunks, branches, roots and leaves. However, climate change and human activities can change the ability of forests to absorb carbon and ...
Earth Sciences
Aug 1, 2025
0
245
How much carbon can the ocean absorb, and what happens to it as the planet warms? Sonya Dyhrman, a microbial oceanographer and professor at Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory, is trying to answer these questions. (Lamont is ...
Ecology
Jul 31, 2025
0
37
Every day, as the sun sets, billions of small animals make their way from the depths of the ocean to the surface to feed. As the next day begins, these zooplankton swim back down. It's the largest synchronous migration on ...
Earth Sciences
Jul 31, 2025
0
27
Africa is a source of uncertainty in carbon cycle calculations. By some estimates, the continent's landscapes emit 2.1 billion tons more carbon dioxide than they take up each year—about equal to 1.5 times the annual emissions ...
Earth Sciences
Jul 30, 2025
0
37
In a world affected by climate change, the Southern Ocean plays an outsized role. It absorbs up to 40% of the human-caused emissions taken up by the oceans while also being home to some of the world's most vulnerable ecosystems.
Earth Sciences
Jul 30, 2025
0
20
A new study offers the first direct evidence that deep-dwelling mesopelagic fish, which account for up to 94% of global fish biomass, excrete carbonate minerals at rates comparable to shallow-water species. The findings validate ...
Ecology
Jul 25, 2025
1
490
The United States was the world's largest source of carbon emissions for more than a century. In a new analysis, researchers document the changing trends in U.S. carbon emissions from the late 19th century to the early 21st ...
Environment
Jul 21, 2025
0
21
