Reducing uncertainty in the global carbon budget requires better quantification of ocean CO2 uptake and its temporal variability. Several methodologies for reconstructing air‐sea CO2 exchange from ...pCO2 observations indicate larger decadal variability than estimated using ocean models. We develop a new application of multiple Large Ensemble Earth system models to assess these reconstructions' ability to estimate spatiotemporal variability. With our Large Ensemble Testbed, pCO2 fields from 25 ensemble members each of four independent Earth system models are subsampled as the observations and the reconstruction is performed as it would be with real‐world observations. The power of a testbed is that the perfect reconstruction is known for each of the original model fields; thus, reconstruction skill can be comprehensively assessed. We find that a neural‐network approach can skillfully reconstruct air‐sea CO2 fluxes when it is trained with sufficient data. Flux bias is low for the global mean and Northern Hemisphere, but can be regionally high in the Southern Hemisphere. The phase and amplitude of the seasonal cycle are accurately reconstructed outside of the tropics, but longer‐term variations are reconstructed with only moderate skill. For Southern Ocean decadal variability, insufficient sampling leads to a 31% (15%:58%, interquartile range) overestimation of amplitude, and phasing is only moderately correlated with known truth (r = 0.54 0.46:0.63). Globally, the amplitude of decadal variability is overestimated by 21% (3%:34%). Machine learning, when supplied with sufficient data, can skillfully reconstruct ocean properties. However, data sparsity remains a fundamental limitation to quantification of decadal variability in the ocean carbon sink.
Key Points
The Large Ensemble Testbed (LET) is a powerful tool to comprehensively assess reconstruction techniques
The amplitude of decadal variability is overestimated by 21% globally and 39% in the Southern Ocean
Machine learning, when supplied with sufficient data, can skillfully reconstruct ocean properties
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FZAB, GIS, IJS, KILJ, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, SBCE, SBMB, UL, UM, UPUK
The study examines the moderating role of institutional quality and technological innovation on the empirical relationship between FDI inflows and four indicator variables of
CO
2
emissions in 40 ...Asian countries for the period 1996–2016, by using generalized method of moment (GMM) estimation. First, from non-interactive regression, FDI inflows have positive impacts on
CO
2
emissions; over all, from our empirical results, we conclude that the moderating role of institutional quality and technological innovation is crucial in the nexus between FDI and carbon
CO
2
emissions and the interaction between institutional quality indicators and FDI inflows significantly reduce the level of
CO
2
emissions. Furthermore, the significant moderating effect of technological innovation is observed on the association between FDI and
CO
2
emissions. The results are important for policy makers in setting up long- and short-term policy to protect environmental quality.
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CEKLJ, EMUNI, FIS, FZAB, GEOZS, GIS, IJS, IMTLJ, KILJ, KISLJ, MFDPS, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBJE, SBMB, SBNM, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK, VKSCE, ZAGLJ
Thermokarst lakes formed across vast regions of Siberia and Alaska during the last deglaciation and are thought to be a net source of atmospheric methane and carbon dioxide during the Holocene epoch. ...However, the same thermokarst lakes can also sequester carbon, and it remains uncertain whether carbon uptake by thermokarst lakes can offset their greenhouse gas emissions. Here we use field observations of Siberian permafrost exposures, radiocarbon dating and spatial analyses to quantify Holocene carbon stocks and fluxes in lake sediments overlying thawed Pleistocene-aged permafrost. We find that carbon accumulation in deep thermokarst-lake sediments since the last deglaciation is about 1.6 times larger than the mass of Pleistocene-aged permafrost carbon released as greenhouse gases when the lakes first formed. Although methane and carbon dioxide emissions following thaw lead to immediate radiative warming, carbon uptake in peat-rich sediments occurs over millennial timescales. We assess thermokarst-lake carbon feedbacks to climate with an atmospheric perturbation model and find that thermokarst basins switched from a net radiative warming to a net cooling climate effect about 5,000 years ago. High rates of Holocene carbon accumulation in 20 lake sediments (47 ± 10 grams of carbon per square metre per year; mean ± standard error) were driven by thermokarst erosion and deposition of terrestrial organic matter, by nutrient release from thawing permafrost that stimulated lake productivity and by slow decomposition in cold, anoxic lake bottoms. When lakes eventually drained, permafrost formation rapidly sequestered sediment carbon. Our estimate of about 160 petagrams of Holocene organic carbon in deep lake basins of Siberia and Alaska increases the circumpolar peat carbon pool estimate for permafrost regions by over 50 per cent (ref. 6). The carbon in perennially frozen drained lake sediments may become vulnerable to mineralization as permafrost disappears, potentially negating the climate stabilization provided by thermokarst lakes during the late Holocene.
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DOBA, IJS, IZUM, KILJ, KISLJ, NUK, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, SIK, UILJ, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK
Biodeposition of minerals is a widespread phenomenon in the biological world and is mediated by bacteria, fungi, protists, and plants. Calcium carbonate is one of those minerals that naturally ...precipitate as a by-product of microbial metabolic activities. Over recent years, microbially induced calcium carbonate precipitation (MICP) has been proposed as a potent solution to address many environmental and engineering issues. However, for being a viable alternative to conventional techniques as well as being financially and industrially competitive, various challenges need to be overcome. In this review, the detailed metabolic pathways, including ammonification of amino acids, dissimilatory reduction of nitrate, and urea degradation (ureolysis), along with the potent bacteria and the favorable conditions for precipitation of calcium carbonate, are explained. Moreover, this review highlights the potential environmental and engineering applications of MICP, including restoration of stones and concrete, improvement of soil properties, sand consolidation, bioremediation of contaminants, and carbon dioxide sequestration. The key research and development questions necessary for near future large-scale applications of this innovative technology are also discussed.
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CEKLJ, DOBA, EMUNI, FIS, FZAB, GEOZS, GIS, IJS, IMTLJ, IZUM, KILJ, KISLJ, MFDPS, NUK, OBVAL, OILJ, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBJE, SBMB, SBNM, UILJ, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK, VKSCE, ZAGLJ
The increase in the concentration of CO2 in the atmosphere has attracted widespread attention. To explore the effect of elevated CO2 on lettuce growth and better understand the mechanism of elevated ...CO2 in lettuce cultivation, 3 kinds of lettuce with 4 real leaves were selected and planted in a solar greenhouse. One week later, CO2 was applied from 8:00 a.m. to 10:00 a.m. on sunny days for 30 days. The results showed that the growth potential of lettuce was enhanced under CO2 enrichment. The content of vitamin C and chlorophyll in the three lettuce varieties increased, and the content of nitrate nitrogen decreased. The light saturation point and net photosynthetic rate of leaves increased, and the light compensation point decreased. Transcriptome analysis showed that there were 217 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) shared by the three varieties, among which 166 were upregulated, 44 were downregulated, and 7 DEGs were inconsistent in the three materials. Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) analysis showed that these DEGs involved mainly the ethylene signaling pathway, jasmonic acid signaling pathway, porphyrin and chlorophyll metabolism pathway, starch and sucrose metabolism pathway, etc. Forty-one DEGs in response to CO2 enrichment were screened out by Gene Ontology (GO) analysis, and the biological processes involved were consistent with KEGG analysis. which suggested that the growth and nutritional quality of lettuce could be improved by increasing the enzyme activity and gene expression levels of photosynthesis, hormone signaling and carbohydrate metabolism. The results laid a theoretical foundation for lettuce cultivation in solar greenhouses and the application of CO2 fertilization technology.
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DOBA, IZUM, KILJ, NUK, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, SIK, UILJ, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK
Driven by the inherent synthetic potential of CO2 as an abundant, inexpensive and renewable C1 chemical feedstock, the recent years have witnessed renewed interest in devising catalytic CO2 fixations ...into organic matter. Although the formation of C−C bonds via catalytic CO2 fixation remained rather limited for a long period of time, a close look into the recent literature data indicates that catalytic carboxylation reactions have entered a new era of exponential growth, evolving into a mature discipline that allows for streamlining the synthesis of carboxylic acids, building blocks of utmost relevance in industrial endeavors. These strategies have generally proven broadly applicability and convenient to perform. However, substantial challenges still need to be addressed reinforcing the need to cover metal‐catalyzed carboxylation area in a conceptual and concise manner, delineating the underlying new principles that are slowly emerging in this vibrant area of expertise.
With a certain lag time, metal‐catalyzed carboxylation reactions of organic matter with CO2 as C1 feedstock have entered a new era of exponential growth. These C−C bond formations are characterized by their mild conditions and excellent chemo‐ and site selectivity for a wide range of coupling partners, holding promise to streamline synthetic sequences en route to carboxylic acids.
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BFBNIB, FZAB, GIS, IJS, KILJ, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, SBCE, SBMB, UL, UM, UPUK
Northern peatlands have been a persistent natural carbon
sink since the Last Glacial Maximum. The continued growth and expansion of
these carbon-rich ecosystems could offset a large portion of ...anthropogenic
carbon emissions before the end of the present interglacial period. Here we
used an impeded drainage model and gridded data on the depth to bedrock and
the fraction of histosol-type soils to evaluate the limits to the growth
of northern peatland carbon stocks. Our results show that the potential
carbon stock in northern peatlands could reach a total of 875±125 Pg C
before the end of the present interglacial, which could, as a result, remove
330±200 Pg C of carbon from the atmosphere. We argue that northern
peatlands, together with the oceans, will potentially play an important role
in reducing the atmospheric carbon dioxide concentration over the next 5000 years.
Inverse modeling of anthropogenic and biospheric CO2 fluxes from ground-based and satellite observations critically depends on the accuracy of atmospheric transport simulations. Previous studies ...emphasized the impact of errors in simulated winds and vertical mixing in the planetary boundary layer, whereas the potential importance of releasing emissions not only at the surface but distributing them in the vertical was largely neglected. Accounting for elevated emissions may be critical, since more than 50 % of CO2 in Europe is emitted by large point sources such as power plants and industrial facilities. In this study, we conduct high-resolution atmospheric simulations of CO2 with the mesoscale Consortium for Small-scale Modeling model extended with a module for the simulation of greenhouse gases (COSMO-GHG) over a domain covering the city of Berlin and several coal-fired power plants in eastern Germany, Poland and Czech Republic. By including separate tracers for anthropogenic CO2 emitted only at the surface or according to realistic, source-dependent profiles, we find that releasing CO2 only at the surface overestimates near-surfaceCO2 concentrations in the afternoon on average by 14 % in summer and 43 % in winter over the selected model domain. Differences in column-averaged dry air mole XCO2 fractions are smaller, between 5 % in winter and 8 % in summer, suggesting smaller yet non-negligible sensitivities for inversion modeling studies assimilating satellite rather than surface observations. The results suggest that the traditional approach of emitting CO2 only at the surface is problematic and that a proper allocation of emissions in the vertical deserves as much attention as an accurate simulation of atmospheric transport.
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