Climate Update: Trees and the Carbon Cycle

by Daniel Brouse
October 29, 2024

I’ve been seeing many well-meaning but misinformed memes about trees and carbon. Last year, for the first time in modern history, trees did not reduce atmospheric carbon levels, and the soil carbon sink has entered a positive feedback loop, reversing the natural carbon cycle.

This doesn’t mean we shouldn’t work to protect trees—these efforts are still crucial. However, they will likely be insufficient in the long run. Human activity has caused lasting changes to soil, affecting its ability to support carbon storage. The key difference between fertile soil and desert lies largely in fungi, which is neither plant nor animal but essential for healthy soil ecosystems. The only viable solution is to stop using fossil fuels and petroleum-based products as soon as possible.

Soil-Atmosphere Interaction:

  1. Thermal Energy Exchange:
    • Soil plays a crucial role in the exchange of thermal energy with the atmosphere. The temperature of the soil surface affects the transfer of heat to the atmosphere through processes such as conduction and convection. The thermal properties of soil, including its composition and moisture content, influence this energy exchange.
  2. Carbon Storage and Cycling:
    • Soil acts as a reservoir for carbon in the form of organic matter. This carbon storage is dynamic and involves complex interactions between plants, microorganisms, and the soil matrix. Soil organic carbon contributes to the global carbon cycle, affecting atmospheric CO2 concentrations.
  3. Feedback Mechanisms:
    • Nonlinear feedback mechanisms between soil and atmosphere can influence climate dynamics. For example, changes in temperature and precipitation patterns may impact soil moisture, affecting vegetation growth and altering the surface energy balance.

Soil-Ocean Interaction:

  1. Carbon Storage and Sequestration:
    • Oceans play a crucial role in global carbon storage. Dissolved carbon dioxide is absorbed by the ocean, forming carbonic acid. Additionally, organic matter from marine life contributes to carbon storage in ocean sediments. The exchange of carbon between soil and oceans is interconnected and can influence atmospheric CO2 levels.
  2. Thermal Inertia:
    • Oceans have a high thermal inertia, meaning they can absorb and store large amounts of heat. This property moderates temperature extremes, influencing atmospheric temperature patterns. Changes in ocean temperatures can, in turn, impact regional and global climate dynamics.
  3. Ocean Circulation and Climate:
    • Ocean circulation patterns, such as the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC), play a role in redistributing heat around the globe. Changes in ocean circulation can have cascading effects on atmospheric circulation patterns, influencing climate on a large scale.

Atmosphere-Soil-Ocean Coupling:

  1. Teleconnections:
    • Chaos theory recognizes the concept of teleconnections, where seemingly unrelated events in one part of the Earth system influence conditions in another. For instance, changes in sea surface temperatures (linked to ocean dynamics) can affect atmospheric circulation patterns, leading to variations in precipitation and temperature on land.
  2. Climate Variability:
    • The complex interactions between soil, atmosphere, and oceans contribute to climate variability. Chaos theory helps to understand the sensitivity of the climate system to initial conditions and how small perturbations in one component can lead to significant and sometimes unpredictable outcomes.

Chaos theory underscores the intricate, nonlinear, and interconnected nature of the relationships between soil, atmosphere, and oceans in the context of thermal energy and carbon storage. These interactions contribute to the Earth’s climate system’s complexity, and understanding these dynamics is crucial for accurately modeling and predicting climate changes. In addition, thermal energy and carbon are redistributed throughout the world.

 

Soil Degradation and Desertification

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