The world breathes

1994/11/01 Elhuyar Zientzia Iturria: Elhuyar aldizkaria

• Klima

The greenhouse effect of the atmosphere is due to the concentration of carbonic gas produced by man. In order to understand its impact on the environment, researchers must first know where that gas is produced and how it expands. To do this, NASA has evaluated the natural respiration of the Earth through the ecosystem model called CASA.

The “respiration” and “expiration” on the Earth’s margins depend on the balance between the _CO2 consumed by plants by photosynthesis and the CO2 emitted by soil organisms _by breaking down organic matter. In these calculations, taking into account vegetation and soil composition, temperature and sunlight, the Earth's _CO2 map has been developed, indicating the territories of generation _and consumption of CO2 gas.