Peatland carbon storage is stabilized against catastrophic release of carbon
2011-11-03
(Press-News.org) Concerns that global warming may have a domino effect —unleashing 600 billion tons of carbon in vast expanses of peat in the Northern hemisphere and accelerating warming to disastrous proportions — may be less justified than previously thought. That's the conclusion of a new study on the topic in ACS' journal Environmental Science & Technology.
Christian Blodau and colleagues explain that peat bogs — wet deposits of partially decayed plants that are the source of gardeners' peat moss and fuel — hold about one-third of the world's carbon. Scientists have been concerned that global warming might dry out the surface of peatlands, allowing the release into the atmosphere of carbon dioxide and methane (a greenhouse gas even more potent than carbon dioxide) produced from decaying organic matter. To see whether this catastrophic domino effect is a realistic possibility, the scientists conducted laboratory simulations studying the decomposition of wet bog peat for nearly two years.
Far from observing sudden releases of greenhouse gases, they found that carbon release and methane production slowed down considerably in deeply buried wet peat, most likely because deeper peat is shielded from exchange of water and gases with the atmosphere. In connection with previous work, the study concluded that "even under moderately changing climatic conditions," peatlands will continue to sequester, or isolate from the atmosphere, their huge deposits of carbon and methane.
INFORMATION:The American Chemical Society is a non-profit organization chartered by the U.S. Congress. With more than 163,000 members, ACS is the world's largest scientific society and a global leader in providing access to chemistry-related research through its multiple databases, peer-reviewed journals and scientific conferences. Its main offices are in Washington, D.C., and Columbus, Ohio.
To automatically receive news releases from the American Chemical Society contact newsroom@acs.org.
END
ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:
2011-11-03
The Delaware Insurance Department's recent announcement that it has recovered nearly $2 million this year for auto, homeowner and other policyholders in that state exemplifies the work regulators carry out on behalf of consumers nationwide, according to Online Auto Insurance (OAI).
For the average person, filing a claim on a low cost car insurance policy and then trying to work out a settlement with a large insurer can be a daunting task. But regulatory agencies in every state can help residents settle claims that might otherwise never be paid.
A vehicle policy is ...
2011-11-03
When fat, sugar and gluten come out of salad dressings, sauces, cookies, beverages, and other foods with the new genre of package labels shouting what's not there, what goes into "light" or "-free" versions of products to make them taste like the original version? The answers appear in the cover story in the current edition of Chemical & Engineering News, ACS' weekly newsmagazine.
In the article Melody Bombgardner, C&EN Senior Business Editor, explains that food processors usually face the problem of reproducing the texture or "mouth feel" of products that have cut back ...
2011-11-03
EAST LANSING, Mich. — Both boys and girls who play video games tend to be more creative, regardless of whether the games are violent or nonviolent, according to new research by Michigan State University scholars.
A study of nearly 500 12-year-olds found that the more kids played video games, the more creative they were in tasks such as drawing pictures and writing stories. In contrast, use of cell phones, the Internet and computers (other than for video games) was unrelated to creativity, the study found.
Linda Jackson, professor of psychology and lead researcher on ...
2011-11-03
Cardiology departments have hosted a variety of software solutions in the past to meet varying demands. A new report from KLAS reveals that the cardiology IT market is moving toward consolidation. The report, "Cardiology 2012: Will the Complete CVIS Please Stand Up?," explains that as a result of the trend toward consolidation providers are looking for a technology leader to step up and meet their needs. This report examines which vendors, providers feel are poised to lead the cardiology market, provide necessary functionality, and offer integration.
"Many ...
2011-11-03
COLUMBUS, Ohio – Researchers at Ohio State University Medical Center and Nationwide Children's Hospital have developed a viral vector designed to deliver a gene into the eyes of people born with an inherited, progressive form of blindness that affects mainly males.
The vector is part of a clinical trial investigating the use of gene therapy to cure choroideremia, a disease that affects an estimated 100,000 people worldwide. The trial is being conducted by researchers at the University of Oxford in England.
The vector was designed by Dr. Matthew During, professor of ...
2011-11-03
Although initially linked with tropical climes as a way to shield against heat and strong sunshine (the chance would be a fine thing in this country!), shutters are also a perfect window treatment to help keep us warm and cosy during cold, wintry weather (that'll be a fair proportion of the year then!).
As they fit snugly and tightly into the window recess, effectively 'closing' off the window, they provide better insulation than curtains or blinds. Making the most of natural daylight is even more important during the shorter winter days and shutters allow you to let ...
2011-11-03
New York, November 2, 2011 -- A woman goes into labor, and gives birth. The newborn is swaddled and placed to sleep in a nearby bassinet, or taken to the hospital nursery so that the mother can rest. Despite this common practice, new research published in Biological Psychiatry provides new evidence that separating infants from their mothers is stressful to the baby.
It is standard practice in a hospital setting, particularly among Western cultures, to separate mothers and their newborns. Separation is also common for babies under medical distress or premature babies, who ...
2011-11-03
PROVIDENCE, R.I. – A newly published paper from Rhode Island Hospital reports that Web-based assessments for outcome measurements of patients in treatment for depression are valid and reliable. The findings indicate that the Internet version of the depression scale was equivalent to the paper version, and that patients preferred the Internet version. The paper is published in this month's edition of the Journal of Clinical Psychiatry.
Lead author Mark Zimmerman, M.D., director of outpatient psychiatry at Rhode Island Hospital, and his colleagues studied 53 psychiatric ...
2011-11-03
WASHINGTON — A new data network that integrates emerging research on the molecular makeup of diseases with clinical data on individual patients could drive the development of a more accurate classification of disease and ultimately enhance diagnosis and treatment, says a new report from the National Research Council. The "new taxonomy" that emerges would define diseases by their underlying molecular causes and other factors in addition to their traditional physical signs and symptoms. The report adds that the new data network could also improve biomedical research by ...
2011-11-03
AUGUSTA, Ga. – Examining the chin and upper and lower abdomen is a reliable, minimally invasive way to screen for excessive hair growth in women, a key indicator of too much male hormone, researchers report.
"We wanted to find a way to identify this problem in women that was as non-intrusive and accurate as possible," said Dr. Ricardo Azziz, reproductive endocrinologist and President of Georgia Health Sciences University.
"We believe this approach is approximately 80 percent accurate and will be less traumatic for women in many situations than the full body assessments ...
LAST 30 PRESS RELEASES:
[Press-News.org] Peatland carbon storage is stabilized against catastrophic release of carbon
