An abnormally hot year can significantly suppress the amount
of atmospheric carbon dioxide that grasslands can absorb, new experiments
suggest.
And the effect can linger for months after temperatures
return to normal, the researchers report in the Sept. 18 Nature.
The long-term effects on carbon uptake seen in this
experiment “are a dramatic reminder of the fragility of ecosystems that are key
players in global carbon sequestration,” says lead author and ecosystem analyst
Jay Arnone of the Desert Research Institute in Reno, Nev.
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