smashing green

Land plants process 15 percent of total atmospheric carbon dioxide each year

sg — Tue, 06 Jul 2010 07:07:26 PDT

Terrestrial ecosystems draw about 123 billion tonnes of carbon (450 billion tonnes of carbon dioxide, CO2) from the atmosphere each year. Based on worldwide local measurements and data-driven model simulations, an international team of researchers led by Christian Beer of the Max Planck Institute for Biogeochemistry in Jena has for the first time provided an observation-based estimate of the largest global flux of carbon between land and atmosphere and of its climate dependencies. The researchers evaluated the result against spatially explicit process models including the leading model LPJmL from PIK. Tropical ecosystems such as rain forests and savannas account for almost two thirds of the CO2 uptake, they report in an article published by the journal ...

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Land plants process 15 percent of total atmospheric carbon dioxide each year

Arctic climate may be more sensitive to warming than thought

sg — Thu, 01 Jul 2010 06:25:34 PDT

A new study shows the Arctic climate system may be more sensitive to greenhouse warming than previously thought, and that current levels of Earth’s atmospheric carbon dioxide may be high enough to bring about significant, irreversible shifts in Arctic ecosystems. Led by the University of Colorado at Boulder, the international study indicated that while the mean annual temperature on Ellesmere Island in the High Arctic during the Pliocene Epoch 2.6 to 5.3 million years ago was about 34 degrees Fahrenheit, or 19 degrees Celsius, warmer than today, CO2 levels were only slightly higher than present. The vast majority of climate scientists agree Earth is warming due to increased concentrations of heat-trapping atmospheric gases generated primarily by ...

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Arctic climate may be more sensitive to warming than thought

CleanTech Venture Capital Interest

sg — Wed, 30 Jun 2010 05:25:04 PDT

CleanTech start-ups are grabbing increased interest and investments from venture capital groups that placed almost $2 billion into eco-friendly companies last year and increased the funding pace with another $773 million during the first quarter of 2010. Clean energy business owners and industry professionals attending EngEx 2010 will hear more about the growing investor confidence in renewable energy from Will Coleman, a partner at Mohr Davidow Ventures and a member firm of the National Ven-ture Capital Association (NVCA), during his keynote address, “CleanTech and Venture Capital Funding,” on July 29. Lisa Bicker, president and CEO of CleanTECH San Diego, will open the three-day conference at the San Diego Convention Center. Ms. Bicker leads the non-profit membership ...

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CleanTech Venture Capital Interest

Climate change complicates plant diseases of the future

sg — Sat, 26 Jun 2010 10:47:02 PDT

Human-driven changes in the earth’s atmospheric composition are likely to alter plant diseases of the future. Researchers predict carbon dioxide will reach levels double those of the preindustrial era by the year 2050, complicating agriculture’s need to produce enough food for a rapidly growing population. University of Illinois researchers are studying the impact of elevated carbon dioxide, elevated ozone and higher atmospheric temperatures on plant diseases that could challenge crops in these changing conditions. Darin Eastburn, U of I associate professor of crop sciences, evaluated the effects of elevated carbon dioxide and ozone on three economically important soybean diseases under natural field conditions at the soybean-free air-concentrating enrichment (SoyFACE) facility in Urbana. The diseases downy mildew, Septoria brown ...

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Climate change complicates plant diseases of the future

First Five Months of 2010 Second Warmest on Record

sg — Thu, 24 Jun 2010 23:52:13 PDT

Global Temperature Report: May 2010 First five months of 2010 second warmest on record Global climate trend since Nov. 16, 1978: +0.14 C per decade May temperatures (preliminary) Global composite temp.: +0.53 C (about 0.95 degrees Fahrenheit) above 20-year average for May. Northern Hemisphere: +0.78 C (about 1.40 degrees Fahrenheit) above 20-year average for May. Southern Hemisphere: +0.29 C (about 0.52 degrees Fahrenheit) above 20-year average for April. Tropics: +0.71 C (about 1.28 degrees Fahrenheit) above 20-year average for May. April temperatures (revised): Global Composite: +0.50 C above 20-year average Northern Hemisphere: +0.80 C above 20-year average Southern Hemisphere: +0.20 C above 20-year average Tropics: +63 C above 20-year average (All temperature anomalies are based on a 20-year average (1979-1998) for the month reported.) Notes on data released June 7, 2010: In the race to ...

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First Five Months of 2010 Second Warmest on Record

Complete Solar Panel Kits – A Basic Guide

sg — Sat, 05 Jun 2010 21:49:24 PDT

If you are interested to start your own home energy-saving project, then it is a good idea if you are going to try having your own complete solar panel kits. This is actually one of the simplest things that you can do because these kinds of things are very affordable and easy to find. If you are going to search through the different specialty and hardware stores, you will realize that there are several kinds of these products that you can choose from. The only thing that you will have to worry about is the quality. If you want to have your own complete solar panel kits, there is a need for you to make sure ...

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Complete Solar Panel Kits – A Basic Guide

Global Temperature Report – April 2010

sg — Thu, 20 May 2010 15:27:51 PDT

Second warmest April on record is warmest month in the Arctic Global climate trend since Nov. 16, 1978: +0.14 C per decade April temperatures (preliminary) Global composite temp.: +0.50 C (about 0.9 degrees Fahrenheit) above 20-year average for April. Northern Hemisphere: +0.80 C (about 1.44 degrees Fahrenheit) above 20-year average for April. Southern Hemisphere: +0.21 C (about 0.38 degrees Fahrenheit) above 20-year average for April. Tropics: +0.63 C (about 1.34 degrees Fahrenheit) above 20-year average for April. March temperatures (revised): Global Composite: +0.66 C above 20-year average Northern Hemisphere: +0.85 C above 20-year average Southern Hemisphere: +0.46 C above 20-year average Tropics: +73 C above 20-year average (All temperature anomalies are based on a 20-year average (1979-1998) for the month reported.) Notes on data released May 6, 2010: The ...

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Global Temperature Report – April 2010

How Grazinglands Influence Greenhouse Gas

sg — Wed, 19 May 2010 10:08:24 PDT

Study examines grasslands and grazing management impacts on global warming Grazinglands represent one of the largest land resources in the world, yet their role as net sinks or sources of greenhouse gases is essentially unknown. Previous research has emphasized the role of grazing management on the sequestration of atmospheric carbon dioxide as soil organic carbon. However, there is a lack of information regarding how grazing management impacts the flux of two potent GHGs, nitrous oxide and methane. A team of scientists lead by Mark Liebig at the USDA-ARS Northern Great Plains Research Laboratory estimated net global warming potential for three grazing management systems located in central North Dakota. The grazing management systems represented two native vegetation pastures ...

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How Grazinglands Influence Greenhouse Gas

Dependency on Fossil Fuel – Why the Auto Industry is Kicking the Addiction to Oil

sg — Tue, 18 May 2010 20:35:55 PDT

The worldwide auto industry loves fossil fuel. It has been addicted to oil since the first Model T rolled off of the assembly line. The internal combustion energy thrives on fossil fuel – gasoline, diesel. But there’s a problem. The main suppliers of oil to feed the auto industry’s addiction keeps raising the price, and the supplies of oil are being depleted. There IS a bottom; an end. The world will eventually run out of oil. Of course, we can’t put all of the world’s oil consumption habit on the shoulders of just the automobile industry. If every automobile in the United States was a hybrid by the year 2025, we’d still be importing as much oil ...

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Dependency on Fossil Fuel – Why the Auto Industry is Kicking the Addiction to Oil

Secrets Of Making Wind Power

sg — Thu, 13 May 2010 06:38:40 PDT

Making wind power Wind vigor is readily obtainable but wind power is not. Regrettably, the wind power system has not reached the status of becoming a regular power program. On the other hand, the very good news is that the concept is picking up. Why is wind power essential? Wind power tends to make sense in these times when the demand far exceeds the supply. The convention methods of producing electricity make utilization of the non-renewable fuels, not just generating such resources scarce but also affecting the surroundings negatively. The power generated by wind proves beneficial within the following techniques: * Free source of power - The wind power can make use of wind vigor which is absolutely ...

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Secrets Of Making Wind Power