Carbon respiration
This article relies largely or entirely on a single source. (November 2016) |
Part of a series on the |
Carbon cycle |
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Carbon respiration (also called
Basic process
Carbon is released to the atmosphere through the burning of fossil fuels,
. It also happens when carbohydrates are changed into carbon dioxide.Carbon flux ratio
The calculation of the annual net difference between carbon release and carbon storage constitutes the annual global atmospheric carbon accumulation rate. Using this method, the annual
Annual net carbon flux has been grossly calculated to be close to zero, implying the carbon release and carbon fixation rates are roughly in balance worldwide. This finding is contradicted by measuring the concentrations of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, an important indication that the balance is tipped toward emissions. Using this data, atmospheric concentrations appear to have increased rapidly over the past 100 years and are currently higher than ever in human history, suggesting that more carbon is being released than can be absorbed on earth.
References
- ^ "Land Use Issues". Archived from the original on 1998-02-11. Retrieved 2006-09-09.