Carbon sequestration, as a biological process, refers to the capture and long-term storage of inorganic carbon, primarily in the form of atmospheric CO₂, into organic and inorganic carbon pools mediated by living organisms. In terrestrial ecosystems, plants, fungi, and microbes fix CO₂ via photosynthesis and chemoautotrophy, transferring carbon into biomass, soils, and stable humic substances. In aquatic systems, phytoplankton, macroalgae, and microbial communities incorporate CO₂ into organic matter, some of which is exported to deeper waters and sediments through the biological pump. Biological carbon sequestration regulates carbon cycling, ecosystem productivity, and contributes to the buffering of atmospheric CO₂ concentrations.
Measurements analyzed by an international research team led by ETH Zurich show that the global ocean absorbed significantly less CO₂ than anticipated during the unprecedented marine heat wave in 2023.
Earth Sciences
Sep 2, 2025
0
238
The Southern Ocean plays an important role in global climate and carbon cycling. Understanding carbon export in this region is critical for modeling Earth's changing climate and evaluating potential ocean-based climate interventions.
Earth Sciences
Aug 27, 2025
0
20
When we walk into a forest, we often think less about the shade or the silence and more about the invisible work trees do—pulling carbon dioxide out of the air and storing it in their trunks, roots and soils. Forests are ...
What leads to lower atmospheric CO2 during ice ages is a question that has puzzled scientists for decades, and it is one that UConn Department of Marine Sciences Ph.D. student Monica Garity and co-authors are working to understand. ...
Earth Sciences
Aug 26, 2025
0
30
Phytoplankton—microscopic algae that form the base of ocean food webs—have long been viewed as transient players in the global carbon cycle: They bloom, die, and the carbon they contain is quickly recycled back into the ecosystem.
Earth Sciences
Aug 22, 2025
0
143
A new critical review, published in the journal CABI Agriculture and Bioscience, highlights the emergence and scientific basis of regenerative agriculture—proposing a working definition centered on ecological cycles and farm ...
Ecology
Aug 21, 2025
0
156
A new global analysis reveals a critical oversight in sustainable coffee and carbon-capture initiatives. These programs incentivize the planting of new trees yet fail to reward the preservation of mature shade trees in existing ...
Environment
Aug 19, 2025
0
35
Teasing apart the sources of organic carbon stored in coastal wetland soils around the world was the "grand challenge" Australian Institute of Marine Science (AIMS) scientists successfully tackled in a seminal blue carbon ...
Environment
Aug 19, 2025
0
31
Human activities, such as deforestation and the expansion of agricultural areas, have a massive impact on the natural state of ecosystems. As a result, large amounts of carbon are released into the atmosphere, contributing ...
Earth Sciences
Aug 18, 2025
0
61
As the world grapples with the intertwined challenges of global forest degradation and climate change, traditional forest restoration approaches have shown critical shortcomings. These approaches, which have long focused ...
Plants & Animals
Aug 15, 2025
0
164
