Land ecosystems becoming less efficient at absorbing CO2: Study

New York, Dec 20 : Researchers have identified an unsettling trend – as levels of carbon dioxide (CO2) in the atmosphere increase, 86 per cent of land ecosystems globally are becoming progressively less efficient at absorbing/ Because CO2 is a main ‘ingredient’ that plants need to grow, elevated concentrations of it cause an increase in photosynthesis, and consequently, plant growth – a phenomenon aptly referred to as the CO2 fertilization effect, or CFE.
CFE is considered a key factor in the response of vegetation to rising atmospheric CO2 as well as an important mechanism for removing this potent greenhouse gas from our atmosphere – but that may be changing.
For a new study published in the journal Science, researchers analyzed multiple field, satellite-derived and model-based datasets to better understand what effect increasing levels of CO2 may be having on CFE.
Their findings have important implications for the role plants can be expected to play in offsetting climate change in the years to come.
“In this study, by analysing the long-term data from remote sensing and state-of-the-art land-surface models, we have found that since 1982, the global average CFE has decreased steadily from 21 per cent to 12 per cent per 100 ppm of CO2 in the atmosphere,” said study author Ben Poulter from NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center.