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.
New research warns that Africa's forests, once vital allies in the fight against climate change, have turned from a carbon sink into a carbon source.
Environment
Nov 28, 2025
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Florida State University oceanographers have discovered a significant connection between small-scale microbial processes and ecosystem-wide dynamics, offering new insights into the mechanisms driving marine carbon storage.
Earth Sciences
Nov 24, 2025
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Soil stores more carbon than Earth's atmosphere and plants combined, which makes the speed of soil carbon's decomposition an important variable in models used to predict changes to our climate.
Earth Sciences
Nov 19, 2025
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Mangrove ecosystems rank among the most efficient "blue carbon" systems on Earth, capable of absorbing and storing vast quantities of atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2). However, mangroves also release methane (CH4), a potent ...
Earth Sciences
Nov 14, 2025
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Soils release approximately 40–60 petagrams (Pg) of carbon annually into the atmosphere through microbial metabolism. Climate warming is projected to further enhance soil microbial respiration, intensifying positive carbon–climate ...
Earth Sciences
Nov 13, 2025
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Global carbon emissions from fossil fuels are projected to rise by 1.1% in 2025—reaching a record high, according to new research by the Global Carbon Project.
Environment
Nov 12, 2025
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Climate change and the associated rising temperatures are melting more and more frozen ground in the Arctic. This dissolved matter contains large amounts of organic carbon which is flowing into the central Arctic Ocean.
Earth Sciences
Nov 12, 2025
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A team led by LMU researchers shows why CO₂ fluxes from land use are so difficult to quantify—and how they can be estimated more accurately in the future.
Earth Sciences
Nov 7, 2025
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Over the past 50 years, Brazil has emerged as one of the world's agricultural giants. Becoming a leading global exporter of soybeans, beef, coffee and sugar has significantly boosted its economy and placed the country at ...
Ecology
Nov 6, 2025
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For decades, scientists have generally thought that rivers emit more carbon dioxide, a greenhouse gas, than they take in. But a new analysis of every river network in the contiguous United States—including underrepresented ...
Earth Sciences
Nov 6, 2025
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