Plant emissions higher than believed

Plant emissions higher than believed

Context

• Carbon released by plant respiration accounts to 30% higher than previously predicted, therefore as the mean global temperature increases, respiration will increase significantly.
• The study was published in the journal Nature Communications.

What are the future prospects?

• Such an increase may end up lowering the future ability of global vegetation to offset carbon dioxide emissions caused by burning fossil fuels.
• Plants both capture carbon dioxide and then release it by respiration. Changes to either of these processes in response to climate change will have profound implications for how much ecosystems soak up carbon dioxide emissions from burning fossil fuels.
• The study provides the most up-to-date accounting of respiratory carbon releases from plants in terrestrial systems.
• The findings are based on the comprehensive GlobResp database, which is comprised of more than 10,000 measurements of carbon dioxide plant respiration from plant species around the globe.

Computer models

• Merging this data with existing computer models of global land carbon cycling showed plant respiration has been a potentially underestimated source of carbon dioxide release.
• Once incorporation of this data into state-of-the-art carbon cycling models will be done,  it will be easier  to being able to accurately model carbon cycle feedbacks for climates across the globe.