http://phys.org/news/2016-03-greenhouse-gas-bookkeeping.html
For the first time scientists have looked at the net balance of the three major greenhouse gases—carbon dioxide, methane, and nitrous oxide—for every region of Earth's landmasses.
They found surprisingly, that human-induced emissions of methane and nitrous oxide from ecosystems overwhelmingly surpass the ability of the land to soak up carbon dioxide emissions, which makes the terrestrial biosphere a contributor to climate change. The results published in the March 10, 2016, Nature, revises our understanding of how human activity contributes to global warming.
Co-author Anna Michalak of Carnegie's Department of Global Ecology remarked, "Typically we think of land as a net 'sink' of carbon dioxide. But we found that the sign of the human-induced impact is reversed if we also take into account methane and nitrous oxide."
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Lead author of the study, Hanqin Tian director of the International Center for Climate and Global Change Research, School of Forestry and Wildlife Sciences at Auburn University said,
"This finding reveals for the first time that human activities have transformed the land biosphere to a contributor to climate change."
"This study should serve as a wake-up call to governments, policymakers, and individuals around the world," said Michalak. "
We must expand our focus and devise strategies that target the biogenic emissions of these other greenhouse gases if we are to change the course of climate change."
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http://phys.org/news/2016-03-greenhouse-gas-bookkeeping.html#jCp
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