Post by marchesarosa on Jul 22, 2012 13:20:15 GMT 1
Forgotten Methane Source: Plants Themselves Produce Methane And Emit It Directly Into The Atmosphere
ScienceDaily (Jan. 15, 2006) — www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2006/01/060115155754.htm
In the last few years, more and more research has focused on the biosphere; particularly, on how gases which influence the climate are exchanged between the biosphere and atmosphere. Researchers from the Max Planck Institute for Nuclear Physics have now carefully analysed which organic gases are emitted from plants. They made the surprising discovery that plants release methane, a greenhouse gas -- and this goes against all previous assumptions. Equally surprising was that methane formation is not hindered by the presence of oxygen.
This discovery, published in the journal Nature, is important not just for plant researchers but also for understanding the connection between global warming and increased greenhouse gas production.
Methane is the greenhouse gas which has the second greatest effect on climate, after carbon dioxide. The concentration of methane in the atmosphere has almost tripled in the last 150 years. Methane is best known as natural gas, currently an important energy source. Nonetheless, only part of the methane uptake in the atmosphere is due to industrial activities connected to energy production and use. More important for the increase of methane in the atmosphere is the increase in so-called "biogenic" sources, e.g., rice cultivation or domestic ruminants related to the rise in the world's population. Nowadays, methane in the atmosphere in fact is largely of biogenic origin.
more
ScienceDaily (Jan. 15, 2006) — www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2006/01/060115155754.htm
In the last few years, more and more research has focused on the biosphere; particularly, on how gases which influence the climate are exchanged between the biosphere and atmosphere. Researchers from the Max Planck Institute for Nuclear Physics have now carefully analysed which organic gases are emitted from plants. They made the surprising discovery that plants release methane, a greenhouse gas -- and this goes against all previous assumptions. Equally surprising was that methane formation is not hindered by the presence of oxygen.
This discovery, published in the journal Nature, is important not just for plant researchers but also for understanding the connection between global warming and increased greenhouse gas production.
Methane is the greenhouse gas which has the second greatest effect on climate, after carbon dioxide. The concentration of methane in the atmosphere has almost tripled in the last 150 years. Methane is best known as natural gas, currently an important energy source. Nonetheless, only part of the methane uptake in the atmosphere is due to industrial activities connected to energy production and use. More important for the increase of methane in the atmosphere is the increase in so-called "biogenic" sources, e.g., rice cultivation or domestic ruminants related to the rise in the world's population. Nowadays, methane in the atmosphere in fact is largely of biogenic origin.
more