New climate change study is controversial

[The Straight Story]

New climate change study is controversial

BRISTOL, England, Nov. 16 (UPI) -- A British study suggests Earth's ecosystems and oceans have a much greater capacity to absorb carbon dioxide than has been previously estimated.

The study, led by researcher Wolfgang Knorr at the University of Bristol, found the balance between the airborne and the absorbed fraction of carbon dioxide has stayed approximately constant since 1850, despite emissions of carbon dioxide having risen from about 2 billion tons a year in 1850 to the current 35 billion tons a year.

Knorr said his results run contrary to a significant body of recent research that suggests the capacity of terrestrial ecosystems and the oceans to absorb CO2 should start to diminish as CO2 emissions increase, allowing greenhouse gas levels to skyrocket.

He said the strength of his research is that it rests solely on measurements and statistical data, and does not rely on computations with complex climate models.

http://www.upi.com/Science_News/2009/11/16/New-climate-change-study-is-controversial/UPI-11111258382741/

[Overseas]

1. Hey golly gee if we just don't look at the effects on our climate

things look pretty good.

2 billion tons were absorbed and airborne at the same rate as our current 35 billion tons, so hey, things aren't so bad. Ignore those melting icecaps and all that warming, and you know, things haven't changed much.

When will Knorr be appointed as Fox's new climate change specialist?

[bullwinkle428]

2. United Press International? I'd give it more credit if if came from WorldNetDaily!

[FarCenter]

3. Is the airborne fraction of anthropogenic CO2 emissions increasing?

http://www.agu.org/pubs/crossref/2009/2009GL040613.shtml

Is the airborne fraction of anthropogenic CO2 emissions increasing?
Wolfgang Knorr

Department of Earth Sciences, University of Bristol, Bristol, UK

Several recent studies have highlighted the possibility that the oceans and terrestrial ecosystems have started loosing part of their ability to sequester a large proportion of the anthropogenic CO2 emissions. This is an important claim, because so far only about 40% of those emissions have stayed in the atmosphere, which has prevented additional climate change. This study re-examines the available atmospheric CO2 and emissions data including their uncertainties. It is shown that with those uncertainties, the trend in the airborne fraction since 1850 has been 0.7 ± 1.4% per decade, i.e. close to and not significantly different from zero. The analysis further shows that the statistical model of a constant airborne fraction agrees best with the available data if emissions from land use change are scaled down to 82% or less of their original estimates. Despite the predictions of coupled climate-carbon cycle models, no trend in the airborne fraction can be found.

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This seems like a useful result. It basically says that in the past 40% of CO2 emissions have stayed in the atmosphere, while the other 60% have been absorbed in the oceans and terrestrial systems.

[Overseas]

4. Thank goodness the report came out before the melting of the permafrost.

And while we still have some rainforest left.