Soil microbes produce less atmospheric CO2 than expected with climate warming

The physiology of microbes living underground could determine the amount of carbon dioxide emitted from soil on a warmer Earth, according to a study published online this week in Nature Geoscience.

Researchers at UC Irvine, Colorado State University and the Yale School of Forestry & Environmental Studies found that as global temperatures increase, microbes in soil become less efficient over time at converting carbon in soil into carbon dioxide, a key contributor to climate warming.

Microbes, in the form of bacteria and fungi, use carbon for energy to breathe, or respire, and to grow in size and in number. A model developed by the researchers shows microbes exhaling carbon dioxide furiously for a short period of time in a warmer environment, leaving less carbon to grow on. As warmer temperatures are maintained, the less efficient use of carbon by the microbes causes them to decrease in number, eventually resulting in less carbon dioxide being emitted into the atmosphere.

I think what irritates me most about the whole "climate change" thing is the constant over-analyzing of the tiniest details of what is still in the end just a gigantic fiction. It's a bit like arguing over whether Batman could beat up Superman, and then proceeding to spend millions of dollars in grant money to fund studies that result in mountains of documentation that purport to prove your argument. It's silly.

Because of what I do, I've had to endure a number of conferences and symposia that dealt with environmental issues, including an ever-increasing number of sessions on "greenhouse gas" related issues. I have never seen so little actual information related in such a ridiculously pretentious manner. It's nothing but the same tired cliches repeated over and over again to an audience of receptive, unthinking zombies. It reminds me more than a little of the one time I was tricked into attending an Amway meeting. The featured speaker was a veritable car salesman cliche machine. He was full of energy, but in the end said nothing of any substance. That didn't matter to the audience, however, as they were enraptured and couldn't stop talking about how profound and motivating he was.

Global warming and Amway.... both just cults.

Thanks decimon.

The physiology of microbes living underground could determine the amount of carbon dioxide emitted from soil on a warmer Earth... Microbes, in the form of bacteria and fungi, use carbon for energy to breathe, or respire, and to grow in size and in number. A model developed by the researchers shows microbes exhaling carbon dioxide furiously for a short period of time in a warmer environment, leaving less carbon to grow on. As warmer temperatures are maintained, the less efficient use of carbon by the microbes causes them to decrease in number, eventually resulting in less carbon dioxide being emitted into the atmosphere.

Give or take a volcano. :')




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