Earth's Greenhouse Effect Research Articles

Variations and driving factors for concentrations and carbon isotopes of dissolved CO2 in lake water across different Chinese lakes

Carbon dioxide (CO2) stands as the primary driver of Earth's greenhouse effect, and it's suggested that the global contribution of CO2 emissions from lakes cannot be ignored. Despite the numerous estimations of CO2 fluxes from lakes, limited focus has been directed towards the carbon isotopes (δ13C) of dissolved CO2 in lake water. Particularly, the potential use of δ13C values in tracing the CO2 concentrations in lake water remains as an understudied area, warranting further exploration and investigation. In this study, we conducted an analysis of the concentrations and δ13C values of dissolved CO2 in 33 lakes located at the Tibetan Plateau, Chinese Loess Plateau, and Yangtze Plain (among which high-resolution spatial investigations were performed in 6 lakes through in-situ continuous monitoring). Our findings revealed spatial variations in both the CO2 concentrations and δ13C values in lakes. Additionally, notable differences are observed among lakes in different regions of China, with lakes in the Yangtze Plain exhibiting considerably higher CO2 concentrations, and the overall CO2 δ13C values in lakes on the Tibetan Plateau tend to be more positive, while those in lakes on the Chinese Loess Plateau tend to be more negative. The pH values, dissolved oxygen, and dissolved organic carbon are likely crucial factors influencing the CO2 concentrations and δ13C values in the lakes. Furthermore, lake water CO2 concentrations are negatively correlated with δ13C values of CO2 and dissolved inorganic carbon (DIC) both within a single lake with high spatial resolutions or in lake groups across different regions. These results highlight that the CO2/DIC δ13C values can be applied to trace the concentration variations of dissolved CO2 in lakes.

Seasonal dynamics and impact factors of atmospheric CO2 concentration over subtropical forest canopies: observation from eddy covariance tower and OCO-2 satellite in Northwest Himalaya, India.

Carbon dioxide (CO2) is the key atmospheric gas that controls the earth's greenhouse effect, and forests play a major role in abating the atmospheric CO2 by storing carbon as biomass. Therefore, it is vital to understand the role of different forests in regulating the spatiotemporal dynamics of atmospheric CO2 concentration. In this study, we have used eddy covariance (EC) tower-based atmospheric CO2 concentration measurements and satellite-retrieved column average CO2 concentration of 2018 to understand the diurnal and seasonal dynamics of atmospheric CO2 concentration over the sub-tropical forest in the foothills of northwest Himalaya, Uttarakhand, India. EC study revealed that the CO2 concentration over the forest canopy peaks during mid-night to early morning and drop to a minimum during the afternoon. On a monthly scale, peak atmospheric CO2 concentration was observed during July in both the sites, which was a result of more release of CO2 by the forest ecosystem through ecosystem respiration and microbial decomposition. Enhanced photosynthetic activities during the late monsoon and post-monsoon resulted in the decrease of atmospheric CO2 concentration over the forest ecosystem. Among the meteorological variables, rainfall was found to have the highest control over the seasonal variability of the atmospheric CO2 concentration. Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 (OCO-2) satellite-retrieved column average CO2 (XCO2) was also examined to comprehend its reliability on an ecosystem scale. The OCO-2 retrieved XCO2 value was higher than the EC carbon flux tower-measured atmospheric CO2 concentration, which might be due to differences in the vertical resolution of the CO2 column and scale difference. However, the monthly atmospheric XCO2 retrieved from OCO-2 strongly adheres with the ground-measured monthly pattern. Our study highlights that forests with varying functional traits within the same climatic conditions show variability in the regulation of atmospheric CO2 concentration.

Resource Letter GECC-2: The Greenhouse Effect and Climate Change: The Intensified Greenhouse Effect

Human activities over the past 200 years have increased Earth's greenhouse effect by about 1% relative to the radiative fluxes that drive the climate system. This Resource Letter introduces the physics of this intensified greenhouse effect and of the processes that govern resultant change in climate and provides resources for further study. Context for this examination is provided in a companion Resource Letter (GECC-1) that examined the radiative fluxes that comprise Earth's climate system and the present-day greenhouse effect. The increase in global temperature and other changes in climate resulting from the intensified greenhouse effect are of great societal concern. Developing prognostic capability to determine these responses to the small perturbations that constitute the intensified greenhouse effect to an accuracy that would be useful to inform policymaking is the major challenge facing climate scientists today.

Resource Letter GECC-1: The Greenhouse Effect and Climate Change: Earth's Natural Greenhouse Effect

Earth's greenhouse effect is manifested as the difference between thermal infrared radiation emitted at the Earth surface and that emitted to space at the top of the atmosphere. This difference, which is due mainly to absorption and downward emission of radiant energy by atmospheric trace gases, results in global mean surface temperature about 32 K greater than what it would otherwise be for the same planetary absorption of solar radiation, and is thus of enormous importance to Earth's climate. This Resource Letter introduces the physics of the greenhouse effect and more broadly of Earth's climate system and provides resources for further study. A companion Resource Letter (GECC-2), planned for the following issue, examines the increase in the greenhouse effect due to human activities over the past 200 years and its consequences for Earth's climate system.

Atmospheric thermal radiation – from historical measurements to investigations of the Earth's greenhouse effect

Atmospheric thermal radiation – from historical measurements to investigations of the Earth's greenhouse effect

A cellulose acetate/multi-walled carbon nanotube mixed matrix membrane for CO2/N2 separation

Carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions have been rising indiscriminately and are becoming a major contributor to Earth's greenhouse effect. One of the most promising means of separating the hazardous CO2 gas is to develop a cost effective and high-performance CO2 separation membrane. From the wide range of membrane materials available, mixed matrix membrane (MMM) technology has shown the most promising results. In this study, MMMs were synthesized from cellulose acetate (CA) with multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) using the wet phase inversion technique. The results shown that MMMs with functionalized MWCNTs (MWCNTs-F) demonstrated the enhance permeance and selectivity towards the separation of CO2/nitrogen (N2). Thus, different loadings of MWCNTs-F into MMM were further investigated to interpret the physical morphologies and functionalities of MMMs, which enable the separation of CO2/N2 in a specific manner. Gas permeation measurements showed excellent MMM performances in terms of permeance and selectivity at 0.1wt% loadings of MWCNTs-F. This superior performance was due to the homogeneous dispersion between the MWCNTs-F and the CA matrix, which increased the sufficient free volumes between the polymer chains and enlarged the polymer/nanofiller interface, as confirmed by the X-ray diffraction results.

Realization of Measurement Station for Remote Environmental Monitoring

The greenhouse effect is a naturally occurring process that heats the Earth's surface and atmosphere. It is a result of the fact that certain atmospheric gases, such as carbon dioxide, water vapor, and methane, are able to change the energy balance of the planet by absorbing long wave radiation emitted from the Earth's surface. Number of gases are involved in the human caused enhancement of the greenhouse effect. Carbon dioxide is the most important gas of these gases, which contributes about 55% of the change in the intensity of the Earth's greenhouse effect. The global monitoring of the greenhouse gases is necessary for handling the global warming issue. This paper presents a practical implementation of a measurement station for environmental monitoring using Internet technology and large sensor networks. The application of the sensor networks in the environmental monitoring requires the development specific solutions. This paper presents a solution that relies on existing technology, but offers hardware and software upgrade due to the advantages of using the concept of virtual instrumentation. The application uses temperature sensors, air relative humidity sensors, gas sensors and others. The measurement station collects the data from the sensors and sends them to the users using the UDP protocol via the Internet and GPRS modem. The measurement station was implemented in LabVIEW programming package.

China Makes “Great Leaps Outward” in Regional Diplomacy

China makes the headlines nowadays, and the world is fascinated by the rise of China. Beijing has long been one of the five UN security council permanent members and a prominent nuclear power. Twice in the past two years Chinese astronauts riding divine vessels have been sent into space, symbolizing the middle kingdom's ascending global status. After 25 years of rapid economic growth at nearly 10 percent annually, China ranks as the world's fourth largest economy, the third largest trading power, and the largest holder of foreign reserves. It is emerging as a world factory, a huge market for all goods and services, a military power, and a major leader in world affairs.1 Many see Beijing as the only potential rival to the global hegemony of the United States. At the same time, China is also a huge source of pollution and environment degradation, the second largest contributor to the earth's greenhouse effect, a land of increasing disparity and social unrest, and full of uncertainties about its own future.Thus the world asks: Will China be a responsible power? Will it rise peacefully as it daims, or will it go to war with others? How do we engage China? How will it behave in world affairs when it is as powerful as the United States in a few decades time? Or, as one of the sub-themes of this volume puts it in the regional context: How has China managed the sensitive issues of territorial unification and engaged its neighbours? How capable is China in leading the region while implementing a new form of governance at home? Although most of the world sees a prosperous China as a benefit to global commerce and well-being, others see the rising dragon as a menace.In the following pages, I will focus on China's regional diplomacy and examine the foreign policy preferences and performances of China's new leadership in the past three-four years. In the process, I will argue that first, China is joining the world, changing it, and being changed by its contacts with the outside, all at the same time; second, China's interaction with the world is based on an ongoing assessment of its own position in the international system through a complex mixture of different strategies; third, China's engagement with the world, its emerging global status, and its leadership potential all begin with its neighbouring countries, so a closer look at China's regional role is critical in understanding China's overall international behaviour; and finally, although it is difficult to make a certain correlation between China's domestic regional policies (in such places as Xinjiang, Tibet, Inner Mongolia, Hong Kong, and Taiwan) and its foreign policy toward other countries, some linkages can be established between Bering's domestic and foreign policy concerns.NEW CHINESE LEADERSHIP TAKES CENTRAL STAGE IN ASIA PACIFIC DIPLOMACYChina's leadership change began over four years ago, and, as their predecessors did, President Hu Jintao, Premier Wen Jiabao, and other top leaders have maintained a very active agenda in foreign affairs with frequent visits to other countries, especially China's close neighbours. The new leaders are younger, much more energetic, and have so far pushed China's international position to a higher level.In southeast Asia, take President Hu and Premier Wen's 2003 visits to the region as an example. Wen first was in Bali, Indonesia in October for the Association of Southeast Asian Nations' (ASEAN) 10 plus one (China) and ASEAN 10 plus three (China, Japan, and South Korea) meetings. In his 44-hour visit, Wen attended 20 meetings, put forward 29 collaborative proposals, and signed a range of diplomatic documents.2 The result was some unprecedented achievements for China's relations with ASEAN:* Beijing became the first strategic partner of the regional group by signing the treaty of amity and cooperation in southeast Asia with ASEAN, denouncing the use efforce and calling for greater political consultation, economic cooperation, and peaceful coexistence. …

Evaluating Sustainable Energy Strategies for a Water Utility

Research suggests that political will to deliver improvements in the quality of surface water in the UK and across the EU, alongside measures to place tighter controls on the quality of biosolids applied to agricultural land, will augment the levels of energy used in sewage and sludge treatment. This coincides with increasing concerns over the use of fossil fuel derived energy sources and their potential to enhance the Earth's greenhouse effect and promote global climate change, creating a serious paradox for those responsible for managing the aquatic environment. However, previous research also suggests that novel technologies and practices could potentially mitigate the problem in hand. This paper describes the development of a model for estimating future energy use and CO2 emissions in the wastewater treatment sector, and outlines the results of different projections using incumbent and novel practices. Indications are that using incumbent approaches could augment CO2 emissions by 15-30% in the medium- to long-term, while loss of the agricultural sludge route and deployment of an incineration strategy could mean increases are of the order of 50-70%. Alternatively, the construction of a greater number of sludge treatment facilities, with greater biogas recovery, could reduce this burden to around −8 to +7% over the same period, while the realisation of the full potential an anaerobic pre-treatment process could lead to reductions of up to 16%. Nevertheless, some of the options will come at a higher cost then incumbents, and the potential for making the business case for these investments is explored.

Increases in greenhouse forcing inferred from the outgoing longwave radiation spectra of the Earth in 1970 and 1997.

The evolution of the Earth's climate has been extensively studied, and a strong link between increases in surface temperatures and greenhouse gases has been established. But this relationship is complicated by several feedback processes-most importantly the hydrological cycle-that are not well understood. Changes in the Earth's greenhouse effect can be detected from variations in the spectrum of outgoing longwave radiation, which is a measure of how the Earth cools to space and carries the imprint of the gases that are responsible for the greenhouse effect. Here we analyse the difference between the spectra of the outgoing longwave radiation of the Earth as measured by orbiting spacecraft in 1970 and 1997. We find differences in the spectra that point to long-term changes in atmospheric CH4, CO2 and O3 as well as CFC-11 and CFC-12. Our results provide direct experimental evidence for a significant increase in the Earth's greenhouse effect that is consistent with concerns over radiative forcing of climate.

The Great Greenhouse Controversy

Understanding the Earth's greenhouse effect does not require complicated computer models in order to calculate useful numbers for debating the issue. A solution of the greenhouse problem - if it is a problem - is suggested which does not require industry to reduce its carbon dioxide emission, so avoiding the economic strain this would have, and the socially unwelcome consequences that would follow from it.

Planting trees for carbon credits: a discussion of context, issues, feasibility, and environmental benefits

Increasing concentrations of certain atmospheric gases, particularly CO2, may be intensifying Earth's naturally occurring greenhouse effect. Anthropogenic emissions of CO2are mostly associated with fossil-fuel combustion and deforestation, both of which are intimately associated with diverse economically important activities. This circumstance will make it difficult for society to rapidly achieve large reductions in the emissions of CO2. The extensive planting of trees can contribute to offsetting a portion of the anthropogenic emissions of CO2and other radiatively active gases (RAGs). Growing plants fix atmospheric CO2into organic carbon of their accumulating biomass, and ecological budgets suggest that substantial carbon credits can be achieved by planting large numbers of trees, in both urban and rural environments. Moreover, many additional noncarbon environmental benefits are achieved by planting trees over extensive areas. A tree-planting strategy could not, however, be practically used to offset more than a relatively small portion of the RAGs emitted through human activities. This limitation is mostly due to the immense areas of land that would have to be afforested to achieve more substantial offsets. Ultimately, effectively dealing with an anthropogenic enhancement of Earth's greenhouse effect will require a comprehensive integrated strategy, the major component of which will be reduced emissions. However, carbon offsets associated with the planting of trees will also be an important element of that integrated strategy. This review discusses issues involved in the planting of trees to offset emissions of CO2and other RAGs. Forest-carbon offsets are discussed in the contexts of the greenhouse effect and climate change, options for reducing emissions of CO2, and the feasibility and environmental benefits of achieving CO2offsets by extensively planting trees. Attention is paid to both carbon and noncarbon benefits, in the contexts of industrial and nonindustrial forests, both urban and rural.Key words: forest-carbon offsets, carbon credits, afforestation, rural forest, urban forest.

Scientific aspects of the framework convention on climate change and national greenhouse gas inventories

Though the principles of the Earth's greenhouse effect have been known for well over a century, it is only recently that advances in climate research have indicated that significant and possibly costly climate change, due to growing emissions of greenhouse gases and their precursors by human activity, is a real possibility. Current estimates of the global human-related emissions of carbon dioxide, methane and nitrous oxide are presented, though many sources remain poorly known or understood. The compilation of national greenhouse inventories as required by the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change is likely in the longer term to help improve such global estimates, as long as comparable methodologies are used. The development of the IPCC Guidelines for National Greenhouse Gas Inventories is described, emphasizing the strategies employed to gain wide international participation.

An upper limit to the greenhouse effect of Earth's atmosphere

An upper limit to the greenhouse effect of Earth's atmosphere

The behavior of trace gases in the troposphere

Several man-made trace gases, accumulating in the Earth's atmosphere, may lead to a global warming in the future or may cause a depletion of stratospheric ozone. Although increased amounts of individual trace gases may add little to the Earth's natural greenhouse effect, together they may rival the effects expected from the increasing levels of CO 2. The primarily natural trace gases, N 2O and CH 4, now increasing because of human activities, are likely to add to the Earth's greenhouse effect, and among the man-made halocarbons, CCl 3F (F-11) and CCl 2F 2 (F-12) are expected to be the most important contributors to the future warming of the Earth. The increase of CH 4 may also affect the characteristics of the atmosphere by increasing ozone levels in the troposphere and stratosphere. We will discuss the record of the concentrations of anthropogenic trace gases that reveals increasing trends of CCl 3F, CCl 2F 2, CCl 4, CH 3CCl 3, and other man-made halocarbons. Some man-made halocarbons, although they exist individually at concentrations too low to affect the environment significantly, may be used as intrinsic tracers of local, regional, and even global transport of air pollution. Recent research on the global production, removal, and transport of both man-made and natural trace gases are reviewed.