Falling Behind: North American terrain absorbs carbon dioxide too slowly

Long-term growth of North America’s vegetation soaks up millions of tons of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere each year. Though impressive, that rate doesn’t keep pace with the prodigious emissions of the planet-warming gas due to human activity.

HOT ZONES. Red areas depict lower-than-average carbon sequestration in North American ecosystems during the summer of 2002, a time when nearly half of the continent was experiencing massive drought.