Greenhouse Gases

A new study shows that future ecosystem functioning will increasingly depend on water availability. Using recent simulations from climate models, an international team of scientists found several “hot spot regions” where increasing water limitation strongly affects ecosystems. These include Central Europe, the Amazon, and western Russia. mehr

Scientists have succeeded in detecting changes in carbon dioxide emissions from fossil fuels much faster than before. Using a new method, they combined atmospheric measurements of carbon dioxide (CO₂) and oxygen (O₂) from the north coast of the United Kingdom. The study, with the participation of the Max Planck Institute for Biogeochemistry, was published Apr. 22 in Science Advances. mehr

After fossil carbon dioxide emissions fell significantly on average globally in 2020, they are approaching pre-Corona pandemic levels again this year. This is the conclusion of the international Global Carbon Project. The project is now publishing its preliminary report in the journal Earth System Science Data. mehr

The increasing amount of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere is causing our climate to warm at an alarming rate. Information is vital for societies who must decide on pathways to climate neutrality. The European ICOS research structure, including Max-Planck Institute for Biogeochemistry, provides this information, as described in a recent article. mehr

The recent Greenhouse gas Bulletin, published by the World Meteorological Organization (WMO), highlights the importance of measuring greenhouse gases in the atmosphere to monitor emissions of such climate-threatening compounds. mehr