A Concerning Loss in Carbon Sink Efficiency

In basic terms, a carbon sink is a process that removes CO2 from the atmosphere and deposits it elsewhere, usually through photosynthesis which creates plant or bacterial biomass that eventually goes back into the ground as waste later, preventing the carbon from accumulating in the atmosphere and acting as a greenhouse gas. The largest carbon sinks on our planet include the highly productive forests in tropical areas such as the Amazon and Africa, as well as the growth of algae near the surface of the oceans. Since 1959 scientists have been measuring the growth rate of atmospheric CO2 (CGR) all over the world in places such as the Mauna Loa Baseline Observatory in Hawaii.

A recent article published in the journal National Science Review entitled “The decline in tropical land carbon sink drove high atmospheric CO2 growth rate in 2023” found that the atmospheric CO2 growth rate not only reached a record high in that year of 3.37 ppm per year, but also rose sharply compared to the growth rate from previous years. This means that for some reason, global carbon sinks aren’t working as well as they used to. 


(Figure 1 from The decline in tropical land carbon sink drove high atmospheric CO2 growth rate in 2023." Graph 1 shows the CGR per year globally and at the MLBO. Graph 2 shows the loss in sink efficiency for three predictive models for three sinks)

There are a few reasons for this decline that are suggested by the article. The first being that 2023 and 2024 both fall during an El Niño event, which can cause more dry conditions in the aforementioned tropical forests of South America and Africa. This predictable weather pattern occurs every few years and absolutely contributes to a temporary loss of efficiency of carbon sinks, but that’s only a part of the bigger picture. The overarching reason for the drop in global carbon sink efficiency is the destruction of the sink ecosystems, whether it be a temporary loss because of an El Niño event or destruction through deforestation or wildfires as is described in “Low latency carbon budget analysis reveals a large decline of the land carbon sink in 2023.” These factors are compounded by the fact that climate change makes destructive events, such as wildfires, worse.

In 2023 the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) pushed out a report detailing the reasons for and potential outcomes of climate change on a global scale. It detailed the specific effects that climate change will have on global ecosystems, and that this will lead to further loss of sink efficiency in the future, among many other things. The timelines therein point to the severity of the situation we’re in. Unfortunately, these models have not factored in the recent spikes in efficiency loss and breakdowns in ecosystems, which is obviously not a good thing. If the largest carbon sinks on our planet disappear, there will be no chance of ever reversing climate change, as there is no way to artificially pull enough out of the air as of right now. Massive sweeping changes to global policy towards protecting these sinks is becoming more and more necessary by the day.

13 comments:

  1. I like that you let us know what the definition of what a carbon sink is, and was letting us know the multiple different reasons for the decline in tropical land carbon sinks. I also didn't know that weather patterns that occur every few years have a loss of carbon sinks.

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  2. Thank you for sharing this, I was unknowledgeable about what a Carbon Sink is and you perfectly explained it. It is very obvious that the carbon sinks are not working as they should anymore, which is concerning. Very interesting.

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  3. With deforestation, wildfires, and events like El Niño causing so much damage, it’s clear that action is needed now. The decline in carbon sink efficiency is gravely serious. How can policymakers and scientists work together to not only preserve existing carbon sinks, but possibly restore degraded ones before it’s too late?

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  4. It is ironic how we are responsible for the destruction of these ecosystems that are crucial to removing these carbon emissions -- like a self-sabotage. This is a professionally written post that highlights a significant issue occurring at a global scale that deserves more consideration in human practices to both reduce carbon emissions and protect these environments necessary to move reverse climate change effects. Well done.

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  5. Hey! Wow what a great post! I love how you thoughtfully explain what a carbon sink is, never having heard one myself. It seemed very essential to our environment and how we function as a society. Your post did an amazing job of highlighting the stress and strain on natural resources even with current adaptations. Excellent post!

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  6. I really appreciated this post because I feel like not enough emphasis is put on the natural carbon sinks that we have in nature that are suffering. With a decrease in the efficiency of these sinks, we will be fighting the emissions we are contributing to the environment along with nature’s natural emissions.

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  7. I love the scientific approach to this summary. Carbon sinks are essential to lessening the carbon footprint of some of the most carbon emitting cities and countries on Earth. As a physics major who is hoping to develop solutions for natural disasters this type of information is very important to me. I hope policy can change in the right direction, and that scientists and engineers will continue to work hard and find solutions.

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  8. This is sad to hear because I have particularly looked into the ocean and its carbon sinks. The climate's impact on the ocean is clear and one example is in its kelp forests. 90% of them have been depleted which is horrible because they once were a great carbon sink.

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  9. I like how you included the fact that an El Nino event changes the planet drastically. I never thought about how it would affect carbon sinks.

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  10. i like that your post told where the largest carbon stinks were happening because i did not know that they took place in the forests in tropical areas such as the Amazon and Africa, as well as the growth of algae near the surface of the oceans as you stated.

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  11. Hi Andrew,
    It is so frustrating that we have destroyed and are continuing to destroy one of the few natural solutions to the climate crisis. However, I know that many countries and company's have begun to try and store carbon underground indefinably as an artificial sink. BP in particular is attempting to institute this system in Indiana and Illinois as a way to offset their carbon emissions and get closer to their goal of net-zero emissions. From what I've read about this process it seems rather lengthy and complex, investing this time and energy into protecting/rehabilitating natural carbon sinks would definitely be a better use of our resources.

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  12. This is such a great and informative post. I had no idea that this was possible, and I am so glad you put the basic definition in there allowing me to understand it. The only part that I was slightly confused about was how the dryness affects these carbon sinks? Why aren't they working as well since El Nino? I think that this is a great thing that could really help fix the damage of climate change.

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  13. The loss of natural carbon sinks is highly concerning. It may help explain the very high temperatures of 2023 and 2024, and doesn't bode well for the future regardless of El Nino, does it? Like your other readers I appreciate this information.

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