carbon cycle Archives - State of the Planet

How Will the Ocean Carbon Cycle Evolve in the Future? New Project Aims to Find Out

A new effort to analyze the ocean’s ability to take up CO2 will be important for predicting the effectiveness of climate change mitigation efforts.

by |September 28, 2020
susan trumbore

Lamont Alumna Receives Prestigious Prize

Susan Trumbore, who earned her Ph.D. at the Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory, is among the recipients of the 2020 Balzan Prize, one of the most prestigious international awards in natural science and humanities.

by |September 18, 2020
map of peat samples

Northern Peatlands Contain Twice as Much Carbon as Previously Thought

New findings double potential emissions from these areas, with big implications for climate modeling.

by |October 21, 2019

Drilling the Seabed Below Earth’s Most Powerful Ocean Current

Starting this month, scientists aim to study the Antarctic Circumpolar Current’s past dynamics by drilling into the seabed in some of the planet’s remotest marine regions.

by |May 15, 2019

As Oceans Warm, Microbes Could Pump More CO2 Back Into Air, Study Warns

A new study suggests bacteria may respire more carbon dioxide from the shallow oceans to the air as seas warm, reducing the deep oceans’ ability to store carbon.

by |April 29, 2019
granite hills in china

Unlocking Earth’s Climate Past: A New Tracer Identifies Weathering Intensity Over Time

New method helps determine how quickly silicates wear down over time, which is key to understanding natural processes that remove CO2 from air.

by |April 15, 2019
smoke from car exhaust

What Happens to All The Carbon We Emit?

A new website provides an interesting and easy-to-understand primer on the carbon cycle.

by |May 24, 2018

North American Coasts Are Absorbing Large Amounts of Carbon

Coastal waters play an important role in the carbon cycle by absorbing carbon into sediments or transferring it to the open ocean, a new study confirms.

by |April 13, 2018

Study Reveals Microbes’ Hidden Role in Fertilizing Oceans

Surprisingly little has been known about how phosphorous, an essential nutrient, cycles through the oceans. A new study has broken through some of this mystery, by showing the hidden role that the oceans’ tiniest creatures play.

by |May 14, 2015
artificial trees, carbon capture

From Theory to Reality: Closing the Carbon Loop

Carbon capture, storage and reuse has the potential to help us reduce CO2 emissions and combat global warming. The Lenfest Center for Sustainable Energy is bringing together experts from an array of fields to assess the state of the technology April 14-16.

by |April 8, 2014