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How the World's Agricultural Boom Has Changed CO2 Cycles

An anonymous reader writes Every year levels of carbon dioxide drop in the summer as plants "inhale," and climb again as they exhale after the growing season in the Northern Hemisphere. However, the last 50 years has seen the size of this swing has increase by as much as 50%, for reasons that aren't fully understood. A team of researchers may have the answer. They have shown that agricultural production, corn in particular, may generate up to 25% of the increase in this seasonal carbon cycle. "This study shows the power of modeling and data mining in addressing potential sources contributing to seasonal changes in carbon dioxide" program director for the National Science Foundation's Macro Systems Biology Program, who supported the research, Liz Blood says. "It points to the role of basic research in finding answers to complex problems."

3 of 186 comments (clear)

  1. Re:Gay Sex! Agenda 21. by epyT-R · · Score: 2, Informative

    Why not just end welfare that encourages pumping out babies by poor, uneducated people?

  2. Re:Problem? by able1234au · · Score: 3, Informative

    There is no Northern Hemisphere "bias". It is just that there is more land in the northern hemisphere and more cropland. So it influences the seasonal cycle more. There would be no CO2 advantage to moving the crops from the Northern Hemisphere to the Southern Hemisphere. It would be nett neutral.

  3. Re:Gay Sex! Agenda 21. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Informative

    Or end welfare for big companies who pay minimum wage to their employees and then teach them how to claim food stamps and other government support?

    You know, stop taxes being spent helping businesses rip people off.