Published in ERW, 13 Nov 2012
Researchers in Sweden and Germany have uncovered patterns in the biosphere’s response to climate change. The findings also reveal the major sources of uncertainty in the way climate models treat the biosphere, which could help modellers reduce those uncertainties in the future.
The biosphere is one of the most critical influences on the climate, yet it is also one of the most poorly understood. Over very long periods, the biosphere neither sequesters nor releases carbon to the atmosphere, but on shorter timescales it can function as a net source, through plants’ absorption of carbon dioxide, or a sink – through the respiration and decomposition of plants, and the burning of wildfires. […]
The rest of this article is available here.